Ghost
by Saengak
Summary: At the sight of Kakashi kneeling in the congealing pool of blood, blank-faced with shock as he holds his father's cooling body, Sakumo has never regretted anything more. As Kakashi staggers down the path of life, Sakumo follows close behind and keeps watch over him. AU: ghost!Sakumo, ghost!Rin, various cameos, no Tobi universe. (Currently in ROOT arc.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Warnings include depictions and discussions of suicide from Sakumo's POV, canon-typical violence and related gore. Much Kakashi-centric angst. Sakumo has his reasons, but they are not always correct or make perfect logical sense.

* * *

Sakumo presses his cheek against weave of the tatami, too weak to even pant for breath. The pain is unbearable; but not as unbearable as living with the crushing weight of his shame. Closing his eyes against dimming vision, he musters the last of his energy to uncurl his stiffening fingers from the hilt of his tanto. He's cold – not even the hot stickiness of his own blood spreading from his body warms him.

A blurred image flashes across his mind: a young silver-haired boy, looking up at Sakumo with adoration, eyes curved with happiness as he smiles behind his mask. Holding onto this last good thing, Sakumo exhales softly and doesn't find it within himself to draw breath again.

' _Kakashi…_ '

* * *

Consciousness floods back to him with the force of a Suiton straight to the chest. Sakumo gasps for breath and staggers on his feet – how is he even standing? – before catching himself against the wall.

He casts his gaze about and reels back in shock at the scene before him, his knees buckling and sending him collapsing onto the floor.

Kakashi is kneeling in a congealing pool of blood, hunched over as he cradles Sakumo's head in his lap, his blank gaze trained unseeingly at the storm raging outside the bedroom window. (It's Sakumo's own _corpse_ , closed-eyed and pale, rigor mortis setting in.) Braced against the far wall, Sakumo chokes on the sickening stench of blood and spilled guts – 'mine,' his mind says, but it doesn't make an iota of sense.

Lightning flashes and sends white light spilling into the cramped room, like the White Chakra Sakumo used to wield through his tanto. Whimpering quietly in his throat, Kakashi bends forward further, beginning to rock himself as his fingers clench in Sakumo's blood-soaked clothes.

"Tou-chan…"

The broken plea snaps Sakumo out of his horror and he crawls forward on unsteady hands and knees, his eyes fixed on his son's small, shuddering form instead of his own eviscerated body.

Gods, what has he done?

 _What has he done?_

"Kakashi?" His voice comes out harsh with fear.

His son doesn't hear him. Doesn't stop whimpering in that half-strangled, almost-silent way, holding onto the cold corpse that's the last remnant of family he has in this world. Instinctually Sakumo reaches out – to touch and comfort even though he knows he has no right to do so, not when he's the cause of his son's anguish – and his fingers sweep right through Kakashi's shaking shoulder.

Sakumo stares. His fingers, though seeming just as solid and whole as Kakashi, have disappeared through his son's body. No sensation registers on his skin except a vague warmth. Unwittingly his gaze is drawn downwards as Sakumo realises he is kneeling right in the puddle of black, black blood, but it neither soaks him nor ripples with the tremors coursing through his body.

He can't feel anything.

"Kakashi," he tries again, croaking in this last desperate attempt.

No response.

Sakumo withdraws his hand because he can't stand it anymore, the way he's _here_ yet in some kind of isolated, alternate plane of existence; able to see but not touch or communicate, left utterly impotent in the face of his son's agony.

Clenching his fists until his fingernails dig in and his palms throb dully, Sakumo bows his head and weeps.

* * *

 **A/N:** updates will be 500 words plus. I promise things will get better for our favourite father and son pair (eventually)! :)


	2. Chapter 2

"I hate you," Kakashi whispers as he stands before Sakumo's grave, his eyes glazed with a sheen of tears. The words sting harshly but it's the love lingering in his voice that twists the dagger in Sakumo's heart. He would rather suffer Kakashi's hatred than his love – then only one of them would be in pain.

The older Hatake hovers by Kakashi's side, untouched by the elements but frozen all the same. He ruthlessly suppresses the urge to flee because this is his punishment – to witness every consequence of what he had done and live in it.

When Kakashi's face twists in anger or moulds into cool apathy, Sakumo stays close, cutting himself raw on the jagged edges of his son's silence. When the bottomless grief in Kakashi's eyes threatens to drown the child, Sakumo breathing falters and he sinks together.

If he had thought the village's scorn was difficult to bear, now… Now he realises that he had not even known pain.

He hadn't known shame.

He hadn't known guilt.

He hadn't known regret.

"I hate you." Kakashi's lips move silently, repeating the phrase over and over, but glittering track of tears down his cheek cry "I miss you." His fingers trace the characters engraved in the plain gravestone, catching on the freshly cut edges.

It is a dull, grey thing, empty save for Sakumo's name, hidden away within a grove of trees bordering Konoha. Even this is a concession barely earned by his ritual suicide. There is no place for Sakumo in the Konoha Cemetery, not for a disgraced shinobi. Neither do the Hatake lands open their embrace for a son who has dishonoured the family name.

It is alright. Sakumo accepts the fact; hides it between his ribs. He isn't a man who deserves tribute.

The wind scours the fresh mound of soil that conceals Sakumo's ashes and bones, sending bits of wet earth tumbling and boughs of leaves rustling overhead. Perched on the broadest branch above is Jiraiya, his red-marked face set in sombre lines as he keeps vigil over Kakashi.

It was pure chance that the Sannin had found Kakashi the morning after Sakumo's death, having just returned from an information-gathering trip of indefinite duration.

How frightening it is that things can change so utterly and completely when time itself has barely trickled by. Barely three months have passed since Sakumo and Jiraiya enjoyed a drink together at home, enjoying the languid thrum of contentment in their veins while Kakashi slept peacefully upstairs. Two months since the revered White Fang had accepted that fateful mission. One month since he stumbled back a disgrace. 3 days since Sakumo succumbed to soul-wracking depression and took his own life.

And now, Sakumo paces the mortal coil restlessly, trapped ethereal form, unable to move on or make penance.

"Take care of him, Jiraiya," Sakumo cranes his neck to murmur to his friend, eternally grateful for Jiraiya's quiet, solid presence by Kakashi's side. The Sannin can be capricious, to say the least, but he is a man who understands loss.

Jiraiya won't stay forever but he will stay _long enough_.

The wind howls, whistling between branches and breaking across the curve of Kakashi's back. Sitting before the gravestone, Sakumo leans his head back and lets a wan smile tilt the corner of his mouth.

Like this, it is almost as if Kakashi is seeing him.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi grows older and taller but stays beansprout thin, his bony shoulders swamped by the smallest sized flak jacket the exam proctors can find him. He hangs it carefully in the rickety cupboard of his second-hand apartment and dusts it now and then while eyeing it with silent, thin-lipped determination.

He survives on three wolfed-down meals and wears himself out with an equal number of training sessions a day. When night falls, Kakashi curls up with a book, his drooping eyes tracing the text as he absently wriggles whichever loose baby tooth he has.

(And if Kakashi sometimes stares at his reflection, stretching his lips in a grin as he sticks his tongue between the gaps of his teeth, Sakumo won't tell a soul.)

With all of Kakashi's unnervingly blank stares and masks both physical and metaphorical, friendships don't bother themselves with him. But Eternal Rivalries do and Sakumo has never been more appreciative of green spandex and orange legwarmers.

Kakashi needs all the supporters he can get even if he doesn't realise it. The older chuunins ostracise the prodigy amongst them and the deeper the inferiority complexes, the crueller they are.

"Missing daddy?"

"Aw, it's alright. You're better off without him."

The taunts are weak and uninspired, but it doesn't stop Sakumo from sending his disembodied foot flying through their sneering faces. It a cheap shot and doesn't make them do anything more than shudder and sneeze, but if that's what Sakumo has to work with, he'll make them think they have the worst flu in the Konoha before they say anything to his son again.

Kakashi looks at them quietly, all hidden canines and narrowed eyes, snorts out a "yeah" and shoves past their surprised faces.

Smiling crookedly, Sakumo just plucks out another shard of his heart, places it together with the handful in his pocket, and trails after his son with pride twisting beneath his sternum. Kakashi is strong, stronger than Sakumo ever was. He's not about to become anyone's doormat, no matter what example Sakumo set.

The name White Fang becomes a mere footnote in conversations as the village turns to newer gossip, revelling in fresh scandal and misery. Unable to sleep in this ghostly form, Sakumo spends the lonely hours of the night perched on the windowsill of Kakashi's apartment, watching the citizenry stumble drunkenly home, laughing and joking with arms around friends and lovers.

On darker nights, when Kakashi is tossing in the grip of nightmares and mumbling half-formed pleas, resentment pools and festers in Sakumo's stomach. He should have never given any of them an ounce of his consideration. Yet for all he tries to hold on, the sour burn of anger evaporates into fumes before long, leaving Sakumo drained and weary.

The burden of blame isn't so easily shifted, especially not onto people like one Minato Namikaze, who has the sun in his hair and the sky in his eyes.

Jiraiya's ex-student becomes Kakashi's friend first and jounin-sensei second. Minato wrestles Kakashi into ramen dinners at Ichiraku, lets the boy into his apartment to borrow books, and tucks a blanket around Kakashi when he falls asleep on the couch. No ninja worth his salt wouldn't wake from someone hovering over him but Minato lets Kakashi pretend. Come morning, Minato hums and smiles as he eats Kakashi's home-cooked breakfast like the "thank you" it's meant to be.

For the first time in a long, long while, Sakumo can breathe. For everything he failed to be, maybe Minato can be instead.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Some well-deserved fluff, anyone?

* * *

Team Minato _fits_ in a way Sakumo hadn't anticipated.

Obito is hot-headed, loud and painfully average; the anti-thesis of the stereotypical Uchiha.

Rin is civilian-born and sweet, possessing the unshakeable calm of a true med-nin even when treating the worst of wounds.

Somehow, between the Uchiha's Hokage-related declarations and the girl's genuine affection, they manage to peel back Kakashi's prickly defences by sheer bull-headedness. The comfort of familiarity and innocence finally allows Kakashi act his age and all the precocious brattiness that had always confounded Sakumo comes spilling out with vengeance.

Kakashi snarks at Obito in all immaturity, equal parts irritation and playfulness, until the boy is red as a tomato. Rin laughs and fusses over them both, takes them by the hand and pulls them along, softening what would have otherwise been a ridiculously overblown rivalry. In return Kakashi lets her closer than anyone else – only she is allowed to pet his ninken, all eight of them.

Minato, Rin, Obito… they teach him how to laugh again, a startled, barking laugh that accidentally slips past his mask.

The sound makes his team grin like idiots and Sakumo too.

* * *

It's one evening after post-training ramen when an idea pops into Kakashi's spiky silver head. Sakumo is hovering over Kakashi's shoulder as usual, sneaking a read of his book, only to have the boy suddenly snap it shut. Blinking, the older Hatake shifts to sit on the shuriken bedspread. "Entertainment is hard to come by when you can't hold anything, you know," he sighs.

"I am going to invite Rin and Obito over for dinner," Kakashi declares with an anxious warble, his eyes fixed on the middle distance.

"An excellent idea!" Sakumo perks up immediately and beams. A boy his age needs to socialise. Play-dates are just the thing!

Nodding dazedly to himself, Kakashi promptly flops onto his pillow and tugs the covers over his head, muttering about invitation cards and appropriately fancy dishes. Sakumo chuckles fondly at his silly little scarecrow.

Little had Sakumo known, it takes one grindingly long week and an infectious case of nervous twitches before Kakashi manages to verbalise the invitation. By now, Minato has been fretting for days over Kakashi's odd behaviour and Kushina has a heart-to-heart talk all planned. As for Sakumo, well, his hair can't be whiter than it already is, can it?

The dinner starts off laughingly formal – complete with a gift-wrapped hamper of fruits brought by an awkward Obito and Rin. Everyone sits stiffly around the meticulously prepared broiled grouper as if they were in a T&I cell instead of a cozy apartment. The small talk is so awful Sakumo is seriously considering the viability of possessing someone simply to make them _stop_.

Obito upends his miso with his foot (don't ask) and the tension flees in a moment. Kakashi starts yelling at the top of his lungs and a horror-struck Obito hollers back apologies equally loudly. Rin merely devolves into a fit of giggles.

Snorting in amusement himself, Sakumo relaxes into a slouch as the two boys stumble over each other, trying to clean up the mess while shouting all the way. Within moments, the neighbour's angry banging on the wall joins in the ruckus and Rin starts tearing up with laughter from it all.

It becomes a simply lovely evening.


	5. Chapter 5

The world turns, creaks on its axis and sends tremors through its tenants. The presence of war lurks in every training session, biding its time even as it nips at the heels of children. Sakumo smells it in the blue lightning that blisters and scorches Kakashi's right hand; hears it in the new jutsu's whistle and shriek as Kakashi thrusts it through the air.

Kushina's silent entourage of ANBU grows and the shadows beneath Minato's eyes deepen with each meeting he attends. Rumours have it that he is to be the Yondaime should Hiruzen fall in battle. Nothing is impossible.

The Yamanaka visit the T&I with alarming frequency and the Uchiha Police step up their nightly patrols. Their doujutsus bring both confidence and unease. When one is under suspicion, there is either loyalty proven or nothing at all. Konoha does not tolerate traitors.

Sakumo is unsurprised when another ghost appears one day, since there must be more people trapped in these... strange circumstances. The kunoichi paces restlessly about the T&I building with a stricken expression on her face that morphs into fury just as quickly. After that first glimpse from afar, Sakumo makes it a point to avoid her despite his craving for social contact. He is simply glad that the ghost is no-one he had known personally. The implications are clear to all who can see it – the perpetual frown on the Head of the T&I's brow, the displeased twist to Uchiha Fugaku's lips. But the Hokage simply looks grieved.

It is a relief when she floats out of the village one day and doesn't come back.

Gentleness has no place in Minato's instruction now and Sakumo is glad for it, even if means that those rare moments of childish joy no longer appear so often. This generation will be one to see war. Every mistake corrected increases their chances and there is no question that Kakashi _must_ survive.

Violence breaks over the horizon within six months of Team Minato's formation. The first week of hostilities finds Kakashi scrambling in the mud, his small hands clutched around the neck of an Iwa boy just years older than him, eyes wide with horror as the body beneath his falls limp. The Iwa-nin isn't the only one who dies that evening; the innocence in Kakashi's tear-bright eyes flickers and sputters out.

With Minato's concerned voice locked outside his apartment, Kakashi's muddied sandals skid against the tiles as he vomits into the toilet bowl, shaking so violently that the hitai-ate gripped in his fist taps a loud _ta-ta-ta_ against the ceramic. Sakumo can do nothing but kneel beside his son – so young, so painfully young – brushing his hand gently through filth-streaked silver hair.

"S-sorry— sorrysorrysorry—" Kakashi stutters between the dry heaves wracking his body. Eventually his watery limbs lose the last of their strength and he slides down onto the floor, unfocused gaze haunted as he stares at the water-stained ceiling.

His own eyes stinging, Sakumo leans over his son on his hands and knees, unable to stop speaking even though his words can offer no comfort. "You're still Kakashi," he murmurs, placing his cupped palm just alongside the childish curve of Kakashi's tear-stained cheek. He doesn't dare let his touch chill Kakashi. "You're still my son. You're still human."

Sakumo doesn't tell him it's going to be alright, because it isn't. Somewhere underneath those heaving ribs, something has irreparably broken. Shinobi are only forgiven when they die and perhaps not even then. A droplet of water slips from Sakumo's eye, catching the light for a split-second before it disappears through the bruise blooming across Kakashi's cheekbone. The boy's eyes flutter closed, shadowing sickly pale skin.

Kakashi is a child that isn't.

(Having been suitably blooded, Kakashi is fast-tracked to jounin at nine, the youngest in Konoha history.)

* * *

 **A/N:** There is quite a bit of controversy in the fandom as to whether Kakashi is 9 or 13 when he becomes jounin. Here he is 9 because it fits the story's timeline better.


	6. Chapter 6

As a boy, Sakumo dreamed of becoming a great shinobi like the Hatakes of his grandfather's generation, who had left Kiri no Kuni to ally with the founders of Konoha. Even then, their clan had been small, barely a handful of men with even fewer women and children. They had been dissidents, a mere branch house that had dared to defy the main house to pursue the new hope that was springing up. Having been cut off like a gangrenous limb, they bet their lives on their new village, their new people.

As a young man, Sakumo dreamed of reviving their clan. The Second Shinobi World War had left Sakumo the only male heir of a dying clan. The honourable name of Hatake, built on his elders' blood spilled, was difficult to shoulder. But hope eased his burden, as did his betrothed, Yoriko.

As a father, Sakumo's dreamed of Kakashi's happiness. This was Yoriko's precious dream and the only shining piece left of her that he could hide close to his heart.

Sakumo had always imagined a turning point in his future, a _something_ that he could grasp with both hands to pull his clan out of the pit it had slipped into. He would lift Kakashi up and out, set him somewhere safe.

But now that his misty dream had dissipated into the wind, he finally sees the road beneath his feet for what it is: a future that loops unerringly into the past. That _something_ he had been chasing... had that perfect solution even existed?

It frightens Sakumo like nothing else to glimpse of himself in Kakashi. There are different faces, different circumstances, but still that same silvered hair and that same, same hope slowly fraying at the edges.

Mission or comrade?

 _Mission or comrade_?

It must be a curse.

The glassy lake is calm beneath Sakumo, the lingering pungence of Obito's Katon the only trace of the brief battle that had taken place. The deceptive stillness belies the antagonism sparking in the air. Beneath the giant bamboo, the two boys clash over the fate of their kidnapped teammate, their voices muted with fear but no less capable of tearing into each other.

His son chooses the "law". The painful memories submerged in his gaze are sharpened quickly into determination. "The most important thing to a shinobi is to be a tool in order to complete the mission. Emotions are unnecessary things." Yet Kakashi's affected calm remains riddled with hairline cracks as he demands Obito's acquiescence.

If Sakumo had not known Kakashi all his life, he would have missed the subtext beneath Kakashi's declaration. The only reason why Kakashi has to go so far as to deem emotions unnecessary is because he has always been emotional. If the "law" isn't everything and the mission near divine… nothing in this world will stop him from flying after Rin.

Whichever choice Kakashi makes, Sakumo knows Kakashi loves her regardless. For all the words and justifications that are pouring off Kakashi's tongue, every rejoinder Obito hurls visibly unsteadies him a little more.

"I believe that White Fang is a true hero."

The older Hatake inhales sharply at the simple words. He is sure the devastated surprise flooding Kakashi's face is mirrored on his own. No-one… no-one had said that before. Put it in such unequivocal terms. Pronounced it with such single-minded conviction.

Obito really believes it and that is... inconceivable.

Shaken to the core, Sakumo swallows hard, his throat clicking loudly in the silence.

The moment is broken when the boys both turn their backs on each other and disappear with twin bursts of shunshin, shattering Team Minato so easily and carelessly. Rooted to the spot, Sakumo stands frozen, caught in the inertia that is the breaking point of three young lives.

He doesn't want to know how this ends.

He doesn't want to witness what the enemy will do to Obito and Rin before they die, because truly, their chances are as good as nil. He doesn't want to see the inevitable guilt that will torture Kakashi because right or wrong, he will never forgive himself either way if any of them die.

It is too cruel. If Sakumo's hands are so utterly tied, surely he has the right to close his eyes? To taste, just this once, the bliss of ignorance? He clenches his jaw so tightly his teeth creak. Hanging his head, Sakumo peers through blurry eyes into the limpid waters of the lake. How can nature be so peaceful in the face of such human misery?

The faint ripple of water in the light breeze is his only answer.

He almost misses the whisper of his son's suppressed chakra when it flits by several minutes later, flashing towards the direction Obito had taken. Heart leaping painfully to his throat, Sakumo's head whips up, eyes wide and searching.

The future loops unerringly once more into the past — but Sakumo will take this chance and hope for something better.

* * *

 **A/N:** An extra long chapter because I can't help myself. Poor Sakumo is having a mid-life/after-life crisis. Life isn't actually so hopeless, dear readers!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** double update today because chapters 7 and 8 are meant to be read in one go :)

* * *

Sakumo clicks his tongue in frustration as he closes his eyes and concentrates on his surroundings again. The bright white spark of Kakashi's chakra has long since faded past the periphery of his senses — senses, Sakumo muses mournfully, which have been dulled significantly. His chakra (or whatever ethereal version of it) flows so sluggishly through his coils that he finds himself near unable to use it.

Neither is Sakumo's bloodhound nose of any help, since Kakashi knows first-hand how dangerous it can be to not mask one's scent. Crossing his arms across his chest, Sakumo scowls at the browned leaves littering the forest floor. He is lost. For one of the best trackers of his generation, this is utterly humiliating.

It is the sudden spike of Kakashi's chakra in the distance that snaps Sakumo out of his dejection and sends the cogs of his mind spinning. The flickering pulses are far away enough that it would take several minutes to arrive even at a proper jounin-speed sprint. He quickly decides on a long range shunshin, even though it may take some effort to wrestle his strangely viscous chakra into compliance.

His hands flash through the jutsu's series of seals as he pinpoints the location in his mind. Mentally drawing a bright line from himself to Kakashi's bursts of chakra, he forces his chakra through his body and—

Sakumo appears within a small bamboo grove only to get nailed by Minato's kunai straight between the eyes, making him yelp and duck instinctively though he remains completely unharmed. Unfortunately the shinobi behind him cannot say the same — he collapses dead with a small spurt of blood.

Wincing at the memory of the kunai's phantom _tug_ as it slipped through his brains, Sakumo hurries out of Minato's much-too-graceful brawl. The small clearing is wrecked. Minato's uniquely marked Hiraishin kunais are strewn across the torn up earth, bright specks of white and silver against the mud-brown of trampled grass. Dead bodies bearing the Iwa hitai-ate are littered about almost carelessly as Minato flits about, picking off the remaining few fighters with deadly accuracy.

Sakumo turns away from the massacre, anxious to confirm the kids' safety. The sight of Kakashi and Rin half-hidden behind a large boulder prompts a grateful sigh of relief but a second look makes him still.

Crouching behind Kakashi, Rin seems just this side of chakra depleted, the purple stripes on her cheek stark against her pallid skin. She will be alright, but _Kakashi_ —

Kakashi has a Sharingan. A single Sharingan that is his left eye, framed by a violent line of red gouging from his eyebrow to the nicked edge of his mask. His eye could have never survived that injury.

The uncomfortable feeling in his chest solidifies into a ball of lead as a sickening realisation dawns upon Sakumo.

 _Obito is dead._

Rin would have never transplanted Obito's eye into Kakashi unless Obito was gone.

Grief hits Sakumo with an unexpected intensity. For all the death he has experienced, many of them family, friends and comrades, the initial blow of knowing that _someone is gone forever_ never managed to soften. In spite of the fact that Sakumo had only known the boy for a few months and Obito never even knew him in return, Obito had somehow become a child he cared deeply about, just as he did Kakashi.

Yet... Obito is _dead_.


	8. Chapter 8

Obito's eye stares back at Sakumo from Kakashi's drawn face. The single black tomoe spins slowly against a deep ruby iris, a full drop of crimson welling slowly against Kakashi's pale lashes. He blinks and the lashes cling together before reluctantly separating into blood-sticky strands again.

"Are you all alright?" Minato pants as he hurries over, his clothes and skin gore-splattered. "Where's—" His throat closes around the question as he comes to a stop before Kakashi. The Sharingan stares up at him, still spinning-spinning-spinning.

Kakashi closes the eye and cups a shaking hand over it.

"He saved me." He pauses, swallows. Steadies his voice. "We were about to leave the cave when the enemy collapsed the ceiling on us. He pushed me out of the way... and a boulder got him." Kakashi's deliberate report-like tone does nothing to ease the shock that strikes through Sakumo like a bolt of lightning.

A strangled sound escaped from Rin's throat and her fingers tighten spasmodically around Kakashi's wrist. Sakumo dazedly tracks the movement, moving up, up, up until he reaches the look of utter desolation that had etched itself onto Kakashi's face. Sighing lowly, Minato folds them both into the comfort of a tight, brief embrace, his hair seeming to dull with his deeply sorrowful expression.

If not for Obito...

At the thought of his son being the one trapped under that boulder, his body crushed beneath heavy stone, Sakumo heart palpitates against the hollow of his throat. Seeing Kakashi so wonderfully alive and whole makes the terror of almost having lost him multiply tenfold.

Seized with an irrepressible reflex of relief, Sakumo turns grateful eyes towards the crumbled entrance of the cave. Yet a moment later he is awash with guilt for feeling this way.

Obito is someone's beloved son as well. Someone else's precious child who had traded his life for his Kakashi's.

* * *

Breathing shallowly, Sakumo approaches the pile of rocks that seals the cave's entrance. Phasing through the heavy boulders is simple if uncomfortable, but Sakumo stops once he is within the cave, unable to take another step forward.

The darkness is complete. Not a stray beam of light manages to illuminate the cold, dusty space. Sakumo can hardly accept that Obito, a boy who had only minutes ago brimmed so full of life, is lying dead and still in this silent, silent tomb.

Settling down with his legs folded beneath him, Sakumo lets his eyes fall closed. Solemnly, he places his hands neatly before him and lowers his head until his hair brushes the ground. "Thank you for saving my son," he says softly.

No-one answers. Nothing stirs. The finality of it all presses down from above, thickening the already stifling air.

Sakumo holds the bow until he forgets time, straightening only the ugly, twisting sensation in his chest settles into calm. The darkness still blinds his eyes, but there is nothing more here. No ghost, no lingering, burdened soul.

Obito has moved on peacefully, at least.

* * *

 **A/N:** In case you didn't see my tag "Alternate Universe: no Tobi", it means that Obito is actually dead for real. Writing this from Sakumo's POV view was difficult, since Obito's death was always Kakashi's tragedy. Hopefully I managed to do justice to the Kannabi Bridge mission!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Have you all listened to Inoue Kazuhiko's songs before? He's Kakashi's seiyuu. "Itoshisa wa hikari no sunadokei" seems to fit this chapter, I think, though I have no idea what the lyrics mean. I just love his heavenly voice...

* * *

"Is it true, Namikaze-san?" Fugaku asks on a sigh, his tired eyes landing on Minato. The Uchiha had just arrived back in the clan compound from a week-long battle and it showed in the lines creasing his young face.

Kakashi jerks as if struck and Minato tightens his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I was not there when the incident occurred, Fugaku-dono. However, I can vouch for the character of my students. They hold each other dearly."

A few steps behind their sensei, Rin lowers her head and hides her face behind the fall of her brown hair.

Fugaku nods solemnly but the four other Elders seated on either side of him continue to scowl with obvious disapproval. Further along the table, Obito's parents sit together. Obito's father stoically maintains a blank expression while his mother shakes silently behind the handkerchief pressed to her face.

"Fugaku-sama," a middle-aged woman says, suspicion written in the downturn of her mouth, "this is _our clan's_ doujutsu."

Behind Fugaku, Sakumo glares at her. They had just confirmed the events leading to Obito's death and she was already rushing onto whether the eye should be kept? Obito was a person, a hero who had sacrificed his life to save another. He did not deserve to be treated like a mere vessel for a kekkei genkai.

From the way Fugaku stays silent and simply _stares_ at her, he thinks much the same. Obito's father surreptitiously slips his broader hand around his wife's and she clutches back tightly, her eyes sharp and angry over the edge of her handkerchief.

"Of course, Yuuro-dono," Fugaku says blandly, "but there is no formal rule against this. Obito-kun obviously had his teammate's well-being in mind when he made this admirable decision. Personally, I am inclined to respect Obito-kun's wishes. In this climate of violence, Obito-kun's gift may well become crucial to saving Kakashi-kun's life."

"Then, after the war—" another elder begins.

"Shall we remove Kakashi-kun's eye then re-implant it every time he faces a foe?" Fugaku interrupts dryly. There is unhappy shuffling but no one raises any more objections. Turning to Obito's parents, the young Head of Clan inclines his head slightly. "My apologies, Miyoshi-san, Hanari-san. Of course, despite my reservations, this is completely your decision."

Glancing at her husband, Hanari rises slowly to her feet and approaches Kakashi. The boy looks up at the woman who had been his friend's mother, what's visible of his face frozen with guilt. Minato watches her carefully behind a deceptively relaxed expression, not moving a step from his position by Kakashi's side.

Lifting the slanted hitai-ate out of the way, she touches his closed eyelid softly, tracing the angry red scar with a trembling fingertip. Her face crumples with grief and Sakumo is suddenly afraid that she will do something terrible like claw the eye out. But she does none of that.

Instead she leans forward, cradling Kakashi's face with both hands as she brushes a gentle kiss onto the scarred skin. It is a last goodbye. Kakashi doesn't manage to suppress his sharp flinch at the tender gesture, a small, pained noise escaping him.

Lost, Sakumo realises ruefully. She didn't look angry, just longing and lost.

Her back is straight and her shoulders set when she turns to face the elders. Sakumo is filled with admiration at the way she pulls herself together with stately, dignified composure.

"I agree," she says, her voice soft but sure. Coming to stand beside her, Obito's father gives his permission as well. Her tightly pressed lips lift in a shaky smile as she regards Kakashi once more. "Use Obito's eye well." Her eyes are bright with tears but filled with sincerity. "And know that we do not blame you."

With bows to Fugaku and the elders, the couple slips out of the room. Kakashi stares after them wordlessly, almost as pale as his hair.

Forgiveness can be painful in its own way.

* * *

 **A/N:** Obito's mother is a strong woman.


	10. Chapter 10

The destruction of Kannabi bridge cut off a major supply chain to Iwa's forces, enough to bring Konoha out on top again but not end the war.

Team Minato is immediately disbanded after Obito's funeral. Minato, being a one-man platoon, will only be hindered by two kids, no matter how skilled they are. With his perfected Chidori, Kakashi is best suited for direct offensives, while Rin as a chuunin medic will make the best use of her skills in combat support.

Kakashi is placed with two ex-ANBU who had also just lost their third and sent to the trenches on the front lines. Three miles away, the nearest medical station welcomes Rin with relief — they so severely short-staffed that use of chakra-healing is only allowed for near-death cases. Kakashi and Rin are hardly able to see Minato anymore; his movements have become a S-ranked secret as Konoha presses every advantage they have.

Determined to keep his promise to Obito, Kakashi sends his ninken to watch over Rin on a rotating shift. The plan works surprising well despite the constant, low-level chakra drain it imposes. Seven ninken fight with Kakashi while the eighth takes a day's break ferrying medical supplies between frenzied med-nin. Repeat, rotate. The dogs receive grateful belly-rubs and veritable showers of love. They poof back into the trenches with messages from Rin and bound back with Kakashi's replies, their tails wagging.

Every now and then when there's a lull in the fighting, Sakumo follows the speedy dogs to check up on Rin. Warm pride fill his chest when he sees her working so diligently, level-headed despite each patient's injuries being time bombs. Saving people's lives is a fight just as brutal and unforgiving as that in the front-lines.

The daily back-and-forth is the only respite keeping the both of them sane these days. It's the only breath of fresh air preventing them from suffocating in the pervading stench of blood and death. Amused grins spread across Kakashi's older teammates' tired, blood-speckled faces when the dogs dutifully narrate Rin's messages, which always end along the lines of "hugs, from Rin". Once or twice his teammates are able to drag up enough energy and humour to clap Kakashi on the back and waggle their eyebrows.

When Kakashi sputters comically and turns an deep shade of red, Sakumo can't help but laugh. The silver-haired boy mutters angrily below his breath and he pulls his mask up higher on his face, but never, ever complains to Rin.

* * *

The front-line company is regrouping after a hard won fight when Shiba appears, frantic on his paws as he informs Kakashi of Rin's disappearance during an surprise attack by Kirigakure. Sakumo's heart sinks and horror blanches Kakashi's blood-streaked face as he whips around to his teammates.

"I have to go."

His team leader, Naraya, regards him gravely as he leans against the other man supporting him. The stab wound in his side bleeds sluggishly. "We have orders to regroup and report."

"I have to go," Kakashi repeats urgently, the blistered fingers of his right hand clenching and unclenching restlessly.

Naraya's pained grimace deepens as he starts trudging through the undergrowth again. "You know the consequences." His other teammate gives him a sympathetic look.

Kakashi takes the implicit acceptance for what it is and bows deeply. "Naraya-taichou. Kumona-san." Sakumo is sure that Kakashi would have gone anyway, but after months of fighting beside each other, saving and being saved by nothing but the strength they lent each other... Kakashi's absence puts their lives at risk and letting them know is the least he can do.

A second later Kakashi is gone, flashing through the trees as fast as his fatigued body can allow. To conserve chakra, the ninken disappear in small clouds of smoke, leaving only Shiba to track Rin's scent.

Keeping his son in sight, Sakumo follows as closely as he can. A sense of foreboding shivers up his spine and he swallows against the anxiety rising in his throat. They say misery doesn't walk alone*...

* * *

* this is my translation of 祸不单行, a Chinese idiom (since I do not know any Japanese idioms). It is probably be a weirdly literal translation, but it sounded poetic in this context so... :)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Sam Tinnesz - Babel was my background music when writing this. Would recommend :)

* * *

"Kakashi, please! I can't let them use me to destroy Konoha!"

Sakumo stares at Rin's back as they leap from branch to branch, dashing away from the Kiri camp Kakashi had rescued her from. Does the girl even know what she is asking?

Kakashi glances over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed in determination. The Kiri ANBU behind them are catching up fast despite being on Hi no Kuni's unfamiliar terrain. " _No._ Rin, we'll hide and think of something! _I promised Obito_."

A noise of desperation escapes her as she jabs her chest with a finger. "There's the _Sanbi_ in me! If they can't find us, they'll just activate the seal and release the bijuu! Even if we aren't near Konoha yet, we're close enough to the front-lines that our forces will be decimated anyway!"

The cresting wave of dread makes Kakashi's voice quaver at the edges. His eyes are wide, Sharingan spinning wildly. "I can't kill you Rin!"

"Kakashi." The way she says his name is worlds apart from the harsh tone earlier. It's gentle, as if she is persuading a child. "This is what I want. Obito would understand."

An inarticulate, pained sound escapes Kakashi and he catches her wrist in a desperate, bruising grip, bringing her closer to him as they continue bounding through the treetops together. He's shaking, anger and fear and helplessness melding together with each sharp pant for breath.

For all the terrible things that have happened, for all the Sakumo had put Kakashi through, Kakashi has somehow been able to pull through. Broken and deeply scarred, yes... but _this—_ having her blood on his hands, her life on his conscience...

This might be the final blow that utterly shatters his son into tiny, irreparable pieces.

(There's only so much anyone can bear before they _break_.)

It will be so easy to hate her for it, Sakumo thinks. Rin _knows_ Kakashi, knows how much he loves her. He will rather tear his own heart out than let her die, yet— she will smear her blood on his hands anyway.

But Sakumo can't. He can't blame her when she's doing this out of love for Konoha. It's not her fault, not at all.

It's this world. This war. This wretched and evil war.

Sakumo can only mourn. Their dreams are stillborn, dead before drawing its first breath. Who can he blame? The Kiri-nin? Sakumo can't even delude himself into thinking that Konoha will not do the same if they had a spare bijuu. For all the benevolence that Konoha projects, for all that the Hokages have genuinely wished for peace...

They're just another village of shinobi who will bury as many corpses as they need in order to live another day.

The forest grows thin and then disappears completely, leaving them running out in the open, completely exposed. The chakra signatures of the Kiri-nin are close enough that their pursuers will reach the clearing within seconds. Rin pulls Kakashi to a stop, her face grey with exhaustion. "Kakashi."

He stumbles to a halt, panting harshly and looking no better. Reaching over, she takes his hand — his right hand.

Kakashi is weeping, tears streaming from Obito's eye to soak into his mask. "Rin," he pleads. The pure, unadulterated anguish with which Kakashi calls her name rends Sakumo's heart to pieces.

"Do it." Rin has that tender, comforting tone again. It's a liar's kindness. She attempts a smile and it comes out lopsided, twisted with regret.

The first Kiri-nin bursts through the foliage and Chidori's shrieks to life on reflex, blue lightning crackling around Kakashi's hand. His eyes widen suddenly, a manic gleam lightning them. "I'll kill them, Rin." He breathes it like it is an epiphany. "They can't release the seal then."

"No!"

Her hand grasps only thin air because Kakashi is gone, barreling towards the nearest Kiri ANBU and taking the surprised man down with a hand straight through the heart, already tearing into the next man before the first hits the floor.

Yet it is obvious from the very beginning that he's hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched. Kakashi may be a prodigy but he is only human. Sakumo knows better than anyone else how close to the edge Kakashi is pushing himself.

Twenty six hours since his son last slept.

Four hours straight of combat.

Three Chidoris.

If the ten Kiri ANBU don't kill Kakashi, chakra exhaustion will surely do it for them.

* * *

 **A/N:** I have vastly underestimated (1) how much I love writing this fic and (2) the number of emotional milestones I want to hit and the amount of detail for each. Hence, this fic will be way longer than my initial estimate of 15 chapters. Yay!

But... future updates will be sporadic because I have exams in two weeks, until early December. (Argh.) I have the next two chapters drafted out though, so I won't leave you all hanging here :)


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Kakashi's seiyuu has a cheerful song called "I Can't Stop Your Heart", which is so ironic... *giggles inappropriately* Sorry Rin!

( **spoiler** ) Since this is not a Tobi-Obi universe, who will save Kakashi from the Kiri-nin? Hmm...

* * *

 _"Kaikou-sensei, we heard that you have the ultimate Sharingan!"_

 _"That's amazing, sensei!"_

 _"Can you show us? Please?"_

 _Uchiha Kaikou looks down at his team of genin, his eyes darkening with unhappiness instead of pleasure. Sakumo and his teammates shift uneasily under the weight of his gaze as their naïve enthusiasm falters._

 _"Never congratulate an Uchiha on their Mangekyou Sharingan," he murmurs, his eyes a fathomless black even against the bright morning light. "It's a power that only comes at the greatest loss."_

 _Kaikou grimaces and Sakumo stifles a gasp at the abject pain he glimpses._

 _"It twists you forever."_

* * *

The constant, ear-piercing shriek of Chidori fills the clearing with an almost physical presence. As if caught in a tableau of horror, no-one dares break the abrupt stillness gripping the clearing.

Blood drips from the saturated cuff of Kakashi's sleeve, splashing against the cracked stone beneath their feet in a soft _plip-plip-plip_.

"K-Kaka-shi..." His name falls stuttering from her lips, accompanied by a steady trickle of crimson. Her face is twisted with anguish when her knees buckle, her gored body sliding off Kakashi's arm with a nauseatingly wet _squelch_ before she hits the ground, dead.

Kakashi's pupils are blown wide as he stares down at Rin's crumpled form, his lungs seizing in excruciated gasps that don't quite manage to draw in air. Beneath the sheen of tears, the three tomoe Sharingan _warps_ and _blooms_ in a pinwheel Mangekyou. It's his pain that etches those black lines; black against the same red of the blood coating his still extended hand.

 _"It twists you forever,"_ Kaikou's voice whispers at the back of Sakumo's mind, heavy with grief.

Choking, his airway constricting about itself, Kakashi's eyes roll into the back of his head as consciousness leaves him. He collapses onto the stony ground, his fingers brushing Rin's ankle, his arm left outreached as if to catch her before she goes. (Too late.)

It is quiet.

This kind of agony doesn't have a voice to express itself. It just sinks its claws deep and tears itself into shreds. It is all Sakumo can do to breathe.

Inhale. Exhale.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Re—

"Shit, he really did it."

Sakumo's horrified gaze snaps up to the Kiri-nin, who were hovering around Rin and Kakashi. The closest ANBU's approaches warily, his unsheathed sword glistening in the afternoon sun.

"Should we kill him?"

"Idiot, that's Sharingan no Kakashi. Don't damage the eye." Sakumo feels bile rise at the excitement in the other's voice.

"Yes, taichou." The Kiri-nin changes his grip on his sword, preparing to skewer Kakashi's defenseless body.

It's hopeless but Sakumo is already forming hand seals at a lightning speed, muscles too tense and aching with terror. He's just a ghost and even now, he can only give someone an insignificant nosebleed... _but he still can affect the physical realm._

 _Wake up wake up WAKE UP_ —

"KAKASHI!" Sakumo roars as he finishes the final seal. Biting into his thumb savagely, he presses his bloodied hand onto the space above Kakashi's back and forces every single ounce of chakra he has into the jutsu.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

The air wavers minutely and a scream is building rapidly in Sakumo's chest as he glares at it, trying to make it work by sheer _will_. The Kiri-nin hesitates at the strange disturbance and a painful, all-too-long moment later, Pakkun flickers into being, confused and yipping with discomfort.

"What the—" the ninken says, his paws scrabbling against Kakashi's sweat-soaked back.

Sakumo doubles over onto his hands and knees with sheer relief, ears ringing and giddy with chakra depletion. _It actually worked._

Immediately taking in Kakashi's unconscious state and the Kiri-nin looming over him, Pakkun leaps in a blur of movement and sinks his sharp teeth into the shinobi's neck, making the man yell and flail.

Before the Kiri-nin can grab him by the scruff, Pakkun pops out of existence with a plume of smoke. A split second later, Bull bursts into existence and dives into the fray. The large dog snaps its jaws around the leather straps around Kakashi's torso, hauls the boy up onto it's back with a smooth toss of its head, and tears off into undergrowth.

Good old quick-thinking Pakkun and dear, reliable Bull.

The Kiri-nin are swearing, giving chase, but Sakumo's body feels like water despite the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Sitting down and pressing shaking hands to his face, Sakumo tries to muffle the tiny, unintelligible sound that nonetheless manages to escape from his throat.

 _Kakashi._

Too close. He is so afraid that when he opens his eyes again, everything will prove to be a fevered construct of his desperation and his son will be lying dead before him.

 _Please... Kakashi. Stay alive for Otou-san._

 _Please._

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm assuming that ninkens can summon themselves to wherever their boss is once that first summoning is done and they know the location :)


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I won't be able to update for a while. Anyway, enjoy awkward!Sakumo :) Yoriko is his wife, btw.

* * *

"J-jounin-san?"

Startled, Sakumo's falls instinctively into a defensive crouch, his hand reaching behind his head for a tantou that isn't there. But at the sight of Rin, his expression slackens in shock.

There's no hole in her heart and she seems to be in remarkably good health for all that just happened. Even the oppressive aura of the Sanbi is gone.

A ghost.

Sakumo swallows dryly around the lump in his throat, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.

She has her hands raised in a placating gesture, her wide doe-eyes filled with confusion and wariness as she takes in his jounin uniform, Konoha hitai-ate and long, silver hair. Then her gaze slips by him and her cheeks drain of all colour at the sight of her own battered corpse.

"Oh." Disbelief written on her face, she presses the flat of her palm against her unharmed chest. She looks down and inhales sharply, fingers digging in. "I'm..."

Alive? Whole?

Seeing her like this again is like a balm to the ragged edges of Sakumo's grief, but it seems wrong to be glad. If she had passed peacefully and without regrets, she wouldn't be tethered to this world like him, caught halfway between the living and the dead.

Sakumo stands slowly and her attention snaps back to him, her dazed incredulity falling away into urgency. "Where's Kakashi? And the Kiri-nin?"

"He escaped with his ninken," Sakumo replies, his voice still rough with emotion. "They gave chase."

He has to depend on Bull, now. He has to trust that the ninken will save Kakashi's life.

Rin relaxes slightly at the news and Sakumo has to hide a sad smile. She always so adamantly puts others before herself. "Forgive me, jounin-san," she says softly, polite as always. "I don't know who you are."

"Ah." Sakumo scratches at his head. "Well. I'm a ghost, like you." It's hard to look at her without the vivid memory of her death overlaying reality. He averts his eyes but only catches another glimpse of her cooling corpse.

How can there be so much blood in a body?

He closes his eyes against the gruesome sight and focuses back on Rin, who has an awkward half-smile hanging on her lips as she stares at him. "Well... I'm, er, Rin. Nohara Rin."

"... I know." Sakumo shifts uncomfortably on his feet. How do you explain that you've been practically stalking her team? That's arrestable levels of creepy. "I'm... Hatake Sakumo. Kakashi's father. I've been, uh, following Kakashi around since I died."

Suddenly remembering how she had found him, sitting in the dirt with his head in his hands, Sakumo resists the urge to hit himself. Hard. How pathetic can he be? Granted the circumstances had been harrowing for sure but...

"Ahahah... I can see the family resemblance," Rin chuckles nervously.

"Yes..." Sakumo struggles to come up with some appropriate small talk. What do you even say?

 _How's death?_ No no no.

 _Can I adopt you_ _?_ No no creepy. They just met.

 _Kiri-nin are bastards, aren't they_ _?_ Hmm... But didn't Yoriko once say that shared animosity isn't a healthy foundation for relationships?

He must have hesitated for too long because Rin drops into a deep bow. "I'm so sorry," she whimpers. "I-I've hurt Kakashi so much—"

"What? No," Sakumo exclaims, forgetting his conundrum. Crossing the few steps between them, he takes her by the shoulder and eases her upright. At the sight of her tear-filled eyes, his apprehension melts into sympathy. "You have nothing to apologise for."

Rin presses her hand to her mouth, gulping back a thick sob.

Sakumo squeezes her shoulder gently, his tone softening further. "Kakashi won't be angry. I'm not angry either. We both know you didn't have a choice."

Nodding jerkily, she composes herself once more with remarkable effort and scrubs away the tear tracks on her face. "Thank you," she says with a quavering voice, bowing again. Rin doesn't apologise again, but Sakumo can read it in her dull eyes and her contrite posture. Like this, she doesn't look like the vivacious girl he knows.

A heaviness settles in his chest and he sighs. She is his responsibility now — he can't leave her alone like this. "Come on," he murmurs. "Let's go find Kakashi."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Whoa, an update? Sorry it has been so long my dear readers, I've missed you all! Classes for this sem have ended and revision is going alright, I suppose. This chapter is a transition chapter, but it didn't feel right to compress it with another chapter. (It's too long anyway.) So here is some cute!Rin and um... lots of description of smells?

* * *

Kakashi's scent trail - the heavy, metallic tang blood and the musk of sweat - quickly comes to an end at the edge of a rushing stream, leaving Sakumo and Rin staring at the foamy water.

"Sakumo-san?" Rin looks up at him in anticipation of his next order. They had fallen so easily into the dynamics of a team, as if searching for Kakashi is a mission they are on orders to complete.

"Kakashi's scent washes off in the stream here," Sakumo explains to Rin's momentary alarm. "Bull probably dragged Kakashi into the water and swam for a while to throw off the Kiri-nin."

The brown-haired girl furrows her brows. "So Kakashi is safe?"

"Probably..." Sakumo follows along the river bank for a short distance, examining the ground for more physical tracks. The Kiri-nin had also paused here, their footsteps carelessly left in the soft soil, overlapping where they had milled about confused and frustrated.

Kiri has a scent: it's the heavy brine of the sea, underlaid with a lingering trace of iodine and a hint of sulfur. It tickles the back of Sakumo's throat as he breathes in, his eyes closed to concentrate on picking it out from the hundred other smells pervading the woodlands. Several invisible trails stand out, foreign and discordant, winding away into the distance.

He exhales on a sigh of relief. It is too good to be true for the Kiri-nin to give up so easily but they must have lost Kakashi's trail to have to split up and search.

Sakumo gives Rin his best reassuring smile when he opens his eyes again. "I can't track Kakashi anymore but neither can they."

The soft smile that spreads over her face brightens her wan countenance. "That's good."

As if on cue, a smattering of raindrops begin to fall, bouncing off blades of grass and making minuscule craters in the soil. Holding out her hand, Rin gazes up at the heavy clouds rolling in from the horizon. The rain is becoming heavier by the moment, drowning out everything else with the warm, earthy smell of rain.

"We won't get wet," Sakumo says just as Rin realises that she's not catching any raindrops in her palm. "But we can take a rest. You must be exhausted."

Shaking her head, Rin squares her shoulders. "I'm alright!" she declares, then more quietly, "you must be worried about Kakashi."

Giving her a fond look, Sakumo beckons her to stand with him under the shelter of one of the larger trees. "He's not the only one I'm worried about, you know." At the surprise flitting over Rin's expression, Sakumo wonders if he had been too callous in running after Kakashi immediately. For all that he is frightened for Kakashi's safety, the poor girl had just died — traumatically at that. Even Sakumo, who had been at least prepared for death to some extent, had adjusted remarkably poorly those first few days.

Sakumo opens his mouth to ask her _something_ but she beats him to the punch. "I think I can find Kakashi." There's such determination shining in her eyes that the older Hatake holds back his questions. Shinobi are an action-oriented bunch; perhaps it is best to simply busy themselves and do what they can. He is no counsellor anyway.

"Minato-sensei taught us how to use Hiraishin marks. We have each other's marks on our bodies, so maybe I can teleport to where Kakashi is."

Intrigued by the simple solution before them, Sakumo nods. "Go ahead. Chakra is hard to use as a ghost, but it's possible."

Straightening at his approval, she forms several hand seals precisely before placing her hand on the tree trunk, leaving the characters "友愛" — friendship. She glances over her shoulder, giving him a small, wobbly smile. "This is my Hiraishin mark. I'll be back soon."

Sakumo can't help but be impressed that it only takes her two tries to activate the Hiraishin proper. To adjust so quickly, she obviously has excellent chakra control. Such talent wasted. Suddenly melancholy, Sakumo sits down beside the tree to wait in the company of his morose thoughts.

It doesn't take more than a few minutes for her to stumble back into existence, trip over Sakumo's knee and fall, arms flailing all the way. "Whoa—" by pure reflex Sakumo catches her by back of her shirt before her face can smash into ground. "Careful there!"

Her face tomato red with mortification, Rin catches her balance quickly and Sakumo lets go of her. "Sorry!" she squeaks. "Your leg was in the way— no, I mean—um—"

Chuckling despite himself, Sakumo stands and straightens his clothes. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

Rin ducks her head. "Yes. Just a little tired." She takes a moment to catch her breath before pointing upstream the river. "Kakashi is in a cave near there — we'll make it in a bit even if we walk."

"How is he?"

"Well hidden with his ninken. He seems fine..." Despite her words, Rin's expression pinches with anxiety.

Gesturing for her to lead the way, Sakumo inclines his head. "Thank you, Rin."

Her expression lightens and her cheeks tinge pink again. "Glad I can help, Sakumo-san."

* * *

 **A/N:** 友愛 is Rin's favourite word according to Narutopedia.


	15. Chapter 15

Sakumo wrinkles his nose as they duck into the cramped cave the ninken had dragged Kakashi into. The stink of lynx offers an excellent scent cover but it made Sakumo wish his olfactory senses weren't quite so acute. There is a faint smell of blood, probably from the scuffle the ninken had with the lynx to chase it out of its den.

"—could have sworn it was Boss' otou-san," Pakkun is saying, his dour face even more sullen than usual. Sakumo perks up at that, listening intensely. Beside him, Rin crawls forward to examine a soaked Kakashi, who is shivering under the pack of ninken who had piled onto him to keep him warm with their body heat.

"Boss' tou-san only summoned us that first time for Boss to sign the contract," Shiba argues, his brows furrowed, "are you sure you aren't mistaken?"

Pakkun's tail swishes in agitation. "It _did_ feel a little like Boss as well..." the pug admits reluctantly, "but Boss was completely out of it when I arrived."

The other ninken look at their small leader doubtfully but don't say anything more. "Best not let Boss know though..." Akino warns. Nods of agreement sweep through the pack and a heavy silence settles over the pack. Guruko presses his floppy ear against Kakashi chest to listen to his heartbeat and Rin reaches out to stroke the sniffling ninken, only to withdraw her hand sadly.

Sakumo settles down on the leaf-littered floor, his gaze on the unconscious twitch of Kakashi's fingers. There's still blood under his nails.

Would it make Kakashi's grief be easier to bear if Sakumo or Rin somehow make their presence known? Yet in their current state, without a consistent or direct means of communication... Sakumo sighs. It would only be cruel to hint at a past that Kakashi cannot ever have again. They will watch over him quietly and Kakashi will gradually forget; the wounds will heal.

A low moan echoes through the cave and everyone's attention fixes avidly upon Kakashi. The boy's teeth chatters as he curls into himself, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Bisuke, who is serving as a pillow of sorts, turns around and licks him across the exposed skin of his face. "Hey."

Kakashi cracks open his eyes to squint at the eight worried summons laying on him. "Everyone..." he whispers through chapped lips, lifting his arms weakly to hug the ninken within his reach. The clamber over him, tails wagging lowly, snuffling at his damp hair and clothes, whining as they huddle close.

"Hey Boss." "Feeling alright?" "You're finally awake."

Kakashi's breath hitches, eyes brimming with tears as he buries his face into their fur. "All of you... You're here."

Rin backs away and sits down with her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging herself and biting her lip as she watches Kakashi cling onto his summons, his soft sobs muffled against the ninken comforting him. "R-Rin..." His voice trails off into a broken keen and Rin hides her face, her shoulders shaking.

Had it been Sakumo alone by himself, he would have stayed out of solidarity or some sense of responsibility. But with Rin clearly tearing herself up over Kakashi's grief, this... this wouldn't do. Rising, he touches Rin's shoulder gently. She raises her head, looking more stricken than she had been when confronted with the sight of her own corpse. "Yes?" she asks hoarsely.

"Let's go outside."

Her face creases with worry as her red-rimmed eyes flicker to Kakashi, who is curled up on his side with his back against them, his breathing still harsh with distress. His ninken are whimpering softly but Kakashi's small outburst of emotion has already been gathered inwards and suppressed into soundless shudders.

 _'He's going to implode one day_ _,'_ Sakumo thinks, blinking back the stinging in his eyes. He offers Rin his hand and she curls her fingers around his tentatively, her large, sorrowful eyes fixed on him like she can't quite understand why he isn't angry at her.

They end up sitting on the ledge that forms the mouth of the cave, their back against the rocky outcrop as their legs dangle over edge. Every once in a while, a small streak of colour passes beneath them as the ninken take turns patrolling, or set out to scavenge for edible berries and fetch water for Kakashi.

The sky has cleared after the initial outpouring of rain and as night falls, a blanket of stars spreads above them, stretching into the distance until its edges are swallowed up by shadowed treetops. The two ghosts sit in silent vigil, weary but unable to sleep, their gazes fixed on the winking silver lights above.

"I'm tired," Rin whispers after hours have gone by with only the sound of crickets accompanying them. Sakumo turns to look at her and her eyes are closed, her face slack with exhaustion. Her hands lay by her sides, open-handed and loose, as if she were one of Suna's puppets left propped up in a semblance of life.

"I know," he murmurs. But ghosts like them can't sleep. "Wait until dawn." Sakumo leans back again, resting his head against the cool stone behind him. His bones ache with phantom pains. "We'll be alright then."

They have to be.

* * *

 **A/N:** Since I don't have the opportunity to PM guest reviewers and such, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to ALL my readers, especially those who have favourited, followed or reviewed. I love hearing from you all :3

We'll be back in Konoha next!


	16. Chapter 16

The courtroom is small, barely larger than the Hokage's office. The Council sits at an elevated table, already stacked with towering files, one for each accused Shinobi. The Hokage is in full regalia at the centre, Danzou on his right and Homura and Koharu on his left.

At another table set perpendicularly to the Council's table, the Jounin Commander Nara Shikane* is busy sorting through boxes upon boxes of files with a tired frown on his face.

For the accused there's a small 'X' on the floor to mark where they should stand and nothing more.

A guard closes the door against waiting room outside and the trial begins with an underwhelming attendance taking. Kakashi isn't the first; there are more serious crimes that vie for priority. But for all that he had been allowed to continue fighting on the front lines until the conclusion of the war - not out of consideration for Kakashi, _hah!_ \- discipline in the shinobi ranks is to be taken seriously.

Shikane reads out the charges in a monotone: culpable homicide of one Nohara Rin and wilful disobedience of superior's orders. Hovering behind Shikane, Sakumo suppresses a wince. The latter charge is all too familiar.

Standing at attention with his hands clasped behind his back, Kakashi remains silent. With his mask and slanted hitai-ate, there is barely an inch of his expression revealed and what there is is blank, his gaze fixed on the middle distance.

Before him, Rin stares back, her lips drawn thin with tension.

"Hatake Kakashi, how do you plead?"

Kakashi's throat works. He swallows, opens his mouth — and nothing comes out.

"Kakashi?" Hiruzen's tone is stern but sympathy softens the wrinkled corners of his eyes.

The silver-haired jounin's eye flickers shut, pain tensing the bruised skin under his lashes. "Guilty."

He looks guilty. Sounds like it too.

"No," Rin whispers. "No."

Sakumo would have despaired if not for the fact that he knew Minato had prepared a defense for Kakashi and submitted it to the Hokage beforehand. Clearly Kakashi has no intention of defending himself — he probably thinks he deserves whatever sentence they hand down.

They don't waste their time trying to get Kakashi to say anything more. Shikane plucks up a file, opening it with deft movements. The glossy photographs gleam under the pale lighting, showing black lines painted against greyed skin. Then there's the hole in her torso in grotesque detail. Then there's more bloodless skin and paled muscle and white bone and—

Grimacing faintly, Shikane sets the written report on top of the carefully documented photographs. "The autopsy revealed a high concentration of bijuu chakra in Nohara Rin's body. There were traces of foreign chakra centering about the chest cavity consistent with the use of the Forbidden Individual Curse Tag."

The Jounin Commander flips rapidly through the file once more before rising from his desk to set it before the Council. "It all appears to corroborate with Namikaze Minato's submissions."

It doesn't take more than a few minutes for the Council to finish deliberating. "Pardoned," Hiruzen declares, his voice ringing through the room authoritatively. "On the grounds of necessity." Rin smiles shakily and Kakashi hunches into himself, his eye trained on the floor. Behind his back, his clenched fists tighten until they are white-knuckled.

The charge of willful disobedience holds and Kakashi is suspended from missions for three months. Considering that the maximum penalty is execution, it's a mere slap on the wrist — mitigated what would have otherwise happened had Rin not died and Kakashi's exceptional service during the war.

"Anything else?"

The question is directed at Shikane but for the first time during the trial Kakashi speaks up and meets Hiruzen's gaze. "Will you put Rin's name on the cenotaph?" he asks hoarsely, a plea slipping through his words.

The old man's face softens into a kindly expression. "Of course."

Kakashi bows deeply in a jerky, mechanical fashion. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Barely fifteen minutes have passed when the guard escorts Kakashi out of the courtroom with brisk steps. The guard scowls at the small crowd of murmuring outside as Kakashi hurries away, his head down.

"Next!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Please excuse my pseudo legal procedure. Let's just say the trial is really just a formality because the Hokage is basically a military dictator. A nice one (maybe).

* Shikaku should be around 22 at this time. That's too young to be Jounin Commander no matter how brainy he is, so this Nara is a older male relative of his.


	17. Chapter 17

The circumstances surrounding Kakashi's suspension are kept hushed.

It's politics. The peace treaties Hiruzen painstakingly negotiated between the five Shinobi nations only draw a fragile veneer of peace over the pain and hatred wracking Konoha. It's like laying a spiderweb over a boiling cauldron. Too many people have lost too much to forgive so easily.

Rin's kidnapping was Kiri's last attempt at destroying Konoha, a sneak attack that occurred after a tentative ceasefire. For their breach of ceasefire, the Sandaime managed to wrangle several favourable concessions from Kiri, but letting the masses know of Kiri's plan would only exacerbate anger and unrest. Adding fear of a bijuu attack to that volatile mix of emotions would send everything boiling over.

What happened to Rin was an opportunity and the Sandaime acted nothing less than prudently, but seeing Rin's death being used like that... it left a bitter taste in Sakumo's mouth. As for Rin, well. "It's good, isn't it? At least something useful came of it," she said. It was true, Sakumo supposed, but he was too old to have her relentless optimism.

Hiruzen has to step down after the mass funeral to appease growing anti-Iwa sentiment (anti-any-other-nation sentiment, in truth) and Minato becomes the Yondaime. It does Konoha good despite Danzou's faction's displeasure — there's a new, young leader (handsome at that, with a lovely wife) who is a venerated war veteran famous for wiping out a thousand Iwa-nin in one go.

The citizenry gradually calm down but it puts Kakashi in the spotlight more than ever. He's the only one left of the new Yondaime's students. There's a thin line between fame and infamy, and with Kakashi that line might as well be non-existent.

No-one really knows why Rin died, only that Kakashi killed her.

 _Friend Killer._

Epithets can make or break you. Some say it with fear, others with derision, but the worst are the ones who say it with twisted sort of admiration.

 _Friend Killer._ A person who would unflinchingly murder his own friend for the sake of Konoha. Sakumo's sins are surely washed away in their minds, now.

Yet that's not true either. They'll hate him for anything and love him for just as little. No one cares about the truth, only scandal and self-justification of what horrors they've committed. Surely they can be forgiven when there's _Friend Killer Kakashi_ , right?

Rin is fury and misery and guilt all rolled up in one whenever she hears the whispering behind Kakashi's back, but Kakashi never gives them the satisfaction of seeing him react. Despite not even being a teenager, his expressionless, half-masked stare is enough to send the rumour-mongers scurrying away by the strength of his reputation alone. But Sakumo sees the truth in the hollowness of his gaze — Kakashi believes that ugly epithet, perhaps even more than those who came up with it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Kakashi is around 11 now. There's lots of discreet timeskipping in and between chapters so the timeline is kinda fuzzy, sorry.


	18. Chapter 18

Kakashi walks up the hill to the Konoha graveyard, wearing dark blue, blue, blue, the half-light of dusk caught in his silver hair. He might as well be a monochromatic pencil sketch if not for the burst of sunny yellow in his hand. As he draws near Rin's gravestone, his footsteps falter and slow to a stop, leaving him looking lost and out of place.

It's almost laughable, had Sakumo been in any mood to laugh. He's Sharingan no Kakashi, Copy-nin, Friend Killer. Elsewhere, Konoha genins - perhaps chuunins as well - are trying to frighten each other with tales of this Bingo book ranking prodigy and yet... Here he is, hesitating at the edge of the graveyard with drooping narcissuses in his hand.

Kakashi's grip almost crushes the stems in his fist before he catches himself and relaxes with a uneven exhale.

Holding up the sunny flowers, his visible eye curves in a deceptively cheerful smile. "I brought you flowers, Rin." He steps forward solemnly and bends down on a knee to carefully arrange half of them in the vases before her gravestone.

Rin crouches down as well, caressing the colourful petals with a finger and making the delicate flowers shift slightly to her touch. "They're beautiful, Kakashi." She looks up and smiles just as brightly as the flowers. "And the colour of sensei's hair."

"The others are for Obito," Kakashi continues in the same light tone, gesturing at the remaining blooms as he traces her etched name. "Can you imagine that? Flowers for Obito. Help me scold him if he complains about it being girly, okay?"

An unbidden huff of laughter escapes Rin and it drags a pained smile out of Sakumo too.

Kakashi seems to lose his words then, leaving the silence stretching on until his increasingly strained smile falters and fades. "I miss you, Rin." His eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he hangs his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh Kakashi," Rin murmurs, reaching out to touch his face, her hand hand hovering near the line of his jaw. "I'm right here."

He turns away, fumbling with a match to light the incense.

Sakumo isn't sure what triggered Rin's sudden breakdown – was it Kakashi's lack of response? Or the way he had stood up after a while with a shuttered expression and moved on to visit Obito's grave? Or perhaps because Obito isn't here, not like Rin, but Kakashi hadn't known enough to treat them differently?

But Rin is crying now, doubled over on the grass with big, heaving sobs, bawling her eyes out.

"Rin..." Sakumo sighs, going over to sit beside her. He hesitates for a mere second before pulling her into a hug. Practically collapsing onto him, she buries her face in the shoulder of his flak jacket, muffling the sounds of pain that seem to be ripped right out of her.

"I d-don't want to be d-d-dead," she stutters, hiding her face further. She's shaking like a leaf. It sends a sharp ache lancing through his heart to see her this way and Kakashi too, how he's pressing his forehead against the cenotaph in the distance, looking as though the weight of the world is crushing him.

Sakumo pats her on the back in a steady, comforting rhythm, the way Yoriko taught him to when Kakashi was an inconsolable, whimpering infant. "There, there..."

Slowly, slowly, Rin calms down until there are only hiccups and sniffles. "S-sorry," she mumbles, still clinging to him. Sakumo looks down at her chestnut-brown head of hair, unable to see her expression but recognising the shame saturating her voice. She had been taught, like all the others, that a Shinobi must never show their tears but–

"It's alright, Rin. We can't be strong all the time." He tightens his hold briefly and she relaxes against him again in boneless exhaustion. "It's alright."

* * *

 **A/N:** I had to get into the mood to write this and I might have teared up a little :( Rin hadn't actually had a good cry yet, so she needed one _pronto._


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** fluff attack!

* * *

"Do I have to go?" Kakashi grumbles, his arms crossed before his chest. A multi-coloured bruise peeks out from beneath his sleeve. His suspension is as good as an enforced holiday, one which Kakashi sorely needs, but he has been using it to train like a maniac. It does not help that Gai has taken it as a Most Youthful Personal Challenge to beat Kakashi at training. Not that Kakashi would stand for that— stubborn mule that he is. Sakumo can only shake his head with an exasperated smile whenever the two boys tear apart the training grounds.

Minato swivels in his chair to look out of the Hokage office's large windows, smiling wryly. A group of enterprising chuunin are stringing lanterns over the Hokage monument, moving dangerously close to where the sculptors have already started on Minato's likeness. Konoha's financial situation isn't particularly healthy but the Council managed to spare a small sum for some colourful decorations and subsidised alcohol. The latter will certainly be well received.

Plastered against the window, Rin has a gentle look on her face as she takes in the bustling streets. After that bout of emotional catharsis in the graveyard, her innate cheerfulness has come trickling back. Sakumo is confident that she will bounce back in no time. That is just how she is.

The older Hatake eyes the precarious piles of paperwork on Minato's desk warily as he perches on the table's edge. It seems that organising a party comes at a price too. "It's the end of war celebration, Kakashi," Minato chides, but here's an understanding light in his eyes when he turns back to regard the boy. His tone lilts teasingly. "Come on, give your new Hokage some moral support when he makes his first speech."

Kakashi rolls his eyes and stalks to the window, unknowingly coming to stand beside Rin. The med-nin turns to stare at his profile, her attention instantly drawn away from the festivities revving up below. Shaking her head as if to clear her mind, Rin looks away a moment later with a twist of her lips.

"Then you had better get going before Kushina-san—"

Bang! Everyone jumps when one Red-Hot Habanero bursts in, her crimson hair swirling about her shoulders as she stalks into the office. The ANBU have the good sense to fade into the shadows again, the ones guarding the office entrance silently closing the doors behind her. "Minato! What are you still doing here?"

Sakumo and Rin share amused grins as Kushina drags a protesting Minato out of his chair and starts brushing off his flame-edged haori. "How did you get this so wrinkled? Luckily I brought a spare one for you _dattebane_!"

"And you!" Kushina rounds on Kakashi, whose smirk slips right off his face. "You're all sweaty! Did you not wash up after training?" Sakumo shakes his head and clicks his tongue disapprovingly, making Rin burst into giggles.

'Ha-ha karma' Minato mouths, flashing Kakashi a toothy grin. Kakashi's glare sharpens to a razor's edge over Kushina's shoulder.

"Luckily—" Kakashi's ire falters when Kushina produces a set of formal clothes from her bag. "I brought you this!"

"Are those mine?" Minato leans over curiously, unfolding the navy kimono and dark grey hakama to examine the heavy garments.

Kushina nods once with a glint in her eye while Kakashi slowly backs away, wide-eyed. "You've outgrown them but they'll fit Kakashi _just fine_." Looking delighted, Minato hands back the formal clothes to his wife.

"I have spare uniforms," Kakashi protests weakly as Kushina shoves the bundle into his chest. A pointed look from her silences the wincing jounin.

"Get dressed," Kushina growls and even Sakumo shivers at the threat in her voice. "The head of the Hatake clan shouldn't be a sweaty slob." Kakashi deflates but Rin is almost bouncing on her feet, her eyes shining in anticipation of seeing Kakashi in something pretty.

"He's still going to wear the mask, though," Sakumo points out in amusement.

Rin pouts a little but recovers her enthusiasm quickly. "It doesn't matter!"

Kakashi slinks away in a sulk and Minato wraps his arm around Kushina. "Dear," he murmurs appreciatively, "whatever will I do without you?"

Kushina beams and smacks Minato's shoulder playfully. "You won't be rid of me ever, you silly bean." With a dopey smile, Minato leans in for a kiss.

Sakumo quickly makes an exit before he sees something he doesn't want to. "Rin, don't peep!"

"Wha-? I-I'm not!" she wails.


	20. Chapter 20

**Warnings:** extremely underage drinking. Needless to say, do not follow Kakashi and Gai's bad example and damage your brains.

* * *

Rin and Sakumo sit perched on Kakashi's window sill, listening to the gradually dimming sounds of the festivities. It would have been peaceful too, if not for the sudden feminine screaming that quickly turns into angry shouting and small explosions. ' _Jiraiya_ ,' Sakumo thinks, ' _probably drunk out of his gourd. At least Kakashi had been better behaved.'_

Behind them, buried in his blankets with his limbs akimbo and kimono rumpled (Kushina is going to kill him for that), Kakashi sleeps off his drinking challenge with Gai (correction: Kushina is going to absolutely _murder_ Kakashi _and_ Gai). Thank goodness Gai had the sense to concede before Kakashi's stubbornness landed them both in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Rin had already started ranting about the effects of alcohol on brain development and Sakumo had been on the verge of breaking out some jutsu - a Katon preferably - ghost or not.

The two rivals are both way too young to drink but keeping a determined jounin and a newly promoted chuunin away from the sake caskets isn't possible without some real firepower. The memory of Kakashi being soundly rebuffed by his summons for commanding them to fetch more sake makes Sakumo smile despite himself, though.

Eventually, even miscreants like Jiraiya have to go home (or pass out in the streets). As the last lanterns are snuffed out, Rin and Sakumo are left in the wan moonlight. "I suppose that's the end of it," Sakumo sighs and Rin pouts, looking disappointed. Mumbling in his sleep, Kakashi buries his face further into his pillow. It's a testament to his tenacity that he still hasn't taken off his mask.

"Ne... Sakumo-san, we've been to my grave. Where's yours?"

The older Hatake shrugs, wondering if this is Rin's idea of small talk. "At the edge of Konoha. It's quite secluded."

She smiles at him with guileless brown eyes. "Can we go?"

Bemused, Sakumo raises his eyebrows. "What for? I'm right here, you know," he jokes.

Rin grins briefly, swinging her legs idly. "Just curious."

"It'll be dark. And no-one will be there."

Her expressions softens and Sakumo winces internally at his slip. He hadn't meant to sound so... hurt? But the flicker of sympathy it's hidden as fast as it appeared, replaced by a mischievous tilt of her mouth. "Scared of ghosts, Sakumo-san?"

He laughs.

"Come on then," Rin says, slipping out of the window to float down five floors onto the pavement below. She beckons with exaggerated enthusiasm. "We can stargaze!"

* * *

Sakumo blinks at the glowing specks of golden light floating around them, swirling and weaving about in patterns unknown to their observers.

"Wow," Rin breathes, her voice saturated with wonder. "Fireflies!" She throws her arms out wide, golden light dancing on her face as she twirls.

Sitting down and leaning against his gravestone, Sakumo watches Rin skip around the clearing, sending the confused lightning bugs fluttering this way and that in response. Her innocent joy at this simple thing is infectious. The lingering memory of Kakashi's words years ago eases it's grip a little and Sakumo finds himself reaching a hand out towards the fireflies as well.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" Rin exclaims breathlessly as she sits down beside him, her hands braced behind her and her legs outstretched onto the grass.

"It is," he murmurs, drinking in the sight of the dark clearing being lit up by its own constellation of lights. They're just fireflies, mindless little creatures, but... it makes him feel like he hasn't been completely abandoned, forgotten. That there's still something beautiful left for him.

"We're lucky, aren't we? We came here at the right time."

She says it so easily but her words make something stick in his throat. The last time he had been here - no, anywhere, really - he had felt anything but lucky.

It had been painful; it still is.

Yet somehow, she looks at peace, sitting here in the dark with only the dead for company.

"This is our second chance, isn't it?"

It takes Sakumo a moment to process her words and even then, he can't quite compute what she means. "What?"

She turns her hand in the air, her gaze focused on the way the lights play over her skin. "We're here for a reason, right? We're not done with life yet, that's why we stayed back." She says it like she has a choice. Oblivious to his astounded gaze, she carries on with confidence. "I want to become strong. Then I can watch over Kakashi and help him like you do."

... A second chance?

But it has always been punishment for Sakumo. He is atoning. Always atoning.

"I can tell that you love him so much," Rin gushes and the warmth in her voice almost scalds him. "You're a good person, Sakumo-san."

He doesn't want to deny that admiring smile so he smiles back and accepts her compliments. He feels like such a fake. Does she know? How the White Fang had disgraced himself and committed suicide for it?

If he really had loved Kakashi enough, been strong enough, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

* * *

 **A/N:** Rin's trying to cheer Sakumo up but he can't quite forgive himself yet...

Well, exams start tomorrow and I've run out of drafted chapters, so it will be a while before I can update again. Wish me luck :) When I come back, we'll be off to ANBU! There will be a few new ghosts too, though no-one you'll expect :) If you all have any ideas or requests, feel free to put it in a review or PM me!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** I'm back! Exams are over and I feel like crap, but I'm so happy to be writing and updating again :) Kakashi is 13 here, the minimum age for ANBU.

* * *

Sakumo doesn't remember ever having been angry at Minato before. He is now.

He's seen the way Kakashi scrubs at his hand like he has OCD and how Kakashi's Chidori fizzles out beneath the onslaught of memories. But how does joining ANBU even help Kakashi? Discipline, rules, masks, orders… it's everything Kakashi had been before Kannabi. ANBU will only further isolate him from the few friends he has.

Would Yoriko have allowed this? Duty and family had always warred so strongly in her but if there's one thing Sakumo is sure of, it's that his wife would have been no less happy at this turn of events. She had been one of their best, for all the good that it did her, and now Kakashi will go down her path. Seeing his son in that familiar pale grey armour and painted ceramic mask makes old grief bleed fresh. These days, he misses Yoriko with a terrible sort of longing.

It's not that Sakumo isn't proud that Kakashi has made it into the elite squad – he will be the first to shout it on the rooftops if it doesn't break every rule regarding confidentiality – but what his son needs counselling, not a promotion. The fact that it's already three years late doesn't change anything. Kakashi isn't going to heal from his trauma and guilt by being further immersed in killing and missions and more killing.

Unless Minato's goal is to desensitise Kakashi until he can obey orders like a good little shinobi and take on more missions—

Sakumo cards his fingers through his hair in agitation. He shouldn't doubt Minato's intentions this way. Being Hokage is difficult, to say the least, and Minato is only twenty-something. The hours are long and unpredictable, and the pressure of ensuring a village's survival is not something that mere mortals can shoulder. Minato isn't even his own person anymore – he's Yondaime-sama and Hokage-sama, nameless except for his title. He belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to the greater good.

Kakashi understands that, so he pretends he's alright. It only takes some simple research on PTSD to downplay the symptoms into something milder, something that wouldn't land him with a Yamanaka. He'll be messed up but functional enough that everyone can brush it off and say, "hah, jounin are like that".

But if Minato doesn't look out for Kakashi, no one will. Not when most of the population doesn't even believe Kakashi has a heart. ANBU might fix crushed confidence but it won't heal a broken spirit.

* * *

On the surface, the ANBU headquarters looks like an inconspicuous extension of the rounded building that houses the missions desk and the Hokage's office. It is true that the ANBU administrative office – where their confidential missions are processed – is located there but in reality that small structure is only the tip of the iceberg.

The ANBU headquarters continue deep underground, carving out a space beneath the streets, stretching from the Hokage's office all way to the Hokage's residence a good kilometre away. This way, the ANBU can respond effectively to the Hokage's summons at all times.

From the ANBU administrative office, Gazelle, a petite ANBU with a green-marked mask, shows Kakashi down a spiraling stairwell. The barracks are stunning at first sight – the rooms are arranged in a circular pattern reminiscent of a panopticon, extending five levels down underground. An area-effect genjutsu maintained by intricate seals turns the ceiling into a bright blue sky complete with fluffy white clouds. The facsimile sunlight spills down to the lowest floor, illuminating the tiny figures seated along the canteen's neat rows of tables and benches.

For all the hive-like lifestyle that the architecture suggests and the distinct lack of windows, it is a relatively nice, well-ventilated space. Each ANBU is afforded a room to themselves. _'No doubt out of consideration for their screaming nightmares,'_ Sakumo muses morbidly.

Gazelle shows Kakashi the medical wing that is located on the lowest floor and makes it a point to emphasise the various points in Konoha that lead straight there via concealed tunnels. Next in priority is of course the equipment department, which looks more like a library than anything. It is filled with shelves upon shelves of scrolls with all sorts of things sealed into them, ranging from weapons to armour to medical kits.

At the end of the short tour, Gazelle brings Kakashi back to his room and tosses him his keys. "You will be a solo agent until either the Hokage assigns you a team or a team captain requests you. Until then, familiarise yourself with ANBU protocols. I'm not here to babysit you, so take the initiative to find someone willing to teach you the more advanced field handsigns. The weekly guard duty roster is posted at the noticeboard beside the canteen. If you have any ad hoc missions, make sure to get someone to cover for you. Any questions?" Her tone implies that there's only one correct reply to her rapid-fire briefing.

"No, Gazelle-san."

She adjusts her mask briefly. "Good." With that, she disappears with a small 'pop'.

"She's so cold." Rin looks up at Sakumo, her brows furrowed. "Will Kakashi become like that?"

"I certainly hope not," Sakumo sighs as the silver-haired jounin slips into his room, closing the door with a firm bang.

Rin winces.

* * *

 **A/N:** Some people have commented about Obito, so I just want to clarify that Obito is truly dead- _dead._ That's why Sakumo had to save Kakashi after he killed Rin in Ch12. Sorry if I haven't been clear and sorry if you like Obito! The big bad will be Madara. Kakashi really doesn't need the added trauma of finding out his friend betrayed him :)

Also, in this story Kakashi's mother was an ANBU agent. Her code name is Magpie. Why? Because a shiny silver Hatake caught her eye ;)


	22. Chapter 22

**Warnings:** Sakumo's suicidal tendencies. I tried to write this realistically and making it hopeful as well... It's a difficult subject and the last thing I want to do is to affect someone negatively. So on that note, I recommend What A Big Heart You Have by LullabyKnell (on AO3) which is a Sakumo & Kushina friendship-healing fic that was quite inspirational when I wrote this chapter!

* * *

Kakashi is busy pouring over an ANBU handbook, learning their basic field handsigns and five suicide jutsu which promise instant death. Hand seal by hand seal, careful and without chakra, Kakashi practices in preparation for a day when the village comes first.

The older Hatake memorises the suicide jutsu carefully. Kakashi is strong but life has been cruel to him – Sakumo will save Kakashi from himself if needs be. Somehow.

 _'Hypocrite,_ ' that traitorous voice in his mind laughs. _'You couldn't even save yourself.'_ The thought is like cold water in Sakumo's face. One memory leads to another and suddenly Sakumo is keenly aware of the newly learnt jutsus sitting heavily at the back of his mind, gnawing at him like an itch he can't scratch. Despite himself, he finds himself wondering.

If he could do a shunshin, a suicide jutsu shouldn't be any different, right? And what's death to a ghost?

The thing is... dying didn't silence those whispers of ' _shame'_ and ' _disgrace'_ and _'useless'_ in Sakumo's head. They were just buried under the tide of regret, resurfacing every now and then and making him feel guilty for even thinking about it again. It's been years since that night but it's a vicious cycle he still falls into… good days, bad days, the hours are endless as he digs his nails into his arm and grits his teeth in an effort to just stop thinking and _live_.

He hates how out of control he feels. He's a shinobi. He shouldn't be like this.

Sakumo closes his eyes against the sight of those deadly hand seals being formed so gracefully by Kakashi's hands, taking a deep, shuddering inhale. There have been beautiful moments when everything was silent in his head, times when he could forget, and he grasps for that calm desperately. He needs to distract himself from the stuffiness in his head and the hammering of his heart. Anything, anyone, just–

He finds Rin meditating, an inexplicable sort of calm smoothing all expression from her face. His throat tightens at the same time something in his chest unwinds. It will be unfair to burden her with his issues, but just having her in the same room, knowing that just in a moment she'll get up and talk to him, smile at him, seems to anchor him in the storm of his mind.

He's dead to Kakashi but alive to Rin. He has to pick up the pieces of himself, glue them together with Rin's solid conviction that they'll be alright, that they can still help Kakashi, that they _matter_. And he'll go on.

He owes both Kakashi and Rin at least that much.

* * *

At his request, Rin gladly forgoes her meditation in favour for a stroll. They walk about playing an ANBU mask version of I Spy and have good-natured arguments about several particularly abstract designs.

("Fox!" "What?! That's obviously a rabbit!" "What rabbit looks that sly?" "An ANBU rabbit!")

Sakumo finds himself laughing and slowly edging away from those familiar, winding thoughts which had snared him only moments before. _'_ _Things will be alright,'_ he says silently to himself like a prayer. With every repetition, he believes it more and more.

The realisation that there are other ghosts here hits the pair in the middle of their game when Rin's Frog-Salamander-Toad-man rolls his eyes and snaps that he's obviously an Axolotl. Rin gapes mutely as he stalks through a wall, too shocked to reply. "Oh dear," Sakumo murmurs, wondering just how many people they have already offended.

("What's an axolotl?" Rin whispers later.)

A second look around the ANBU headquarters reveals that the place is _swarming_ with ghosts. For all the years Sakumo has followed Kakashi around, the number of ghosts he has met can be counted on two hands, so he can be excused for assuming they were normal, living ANBU agents. Most of them continue to wear their masks too. Now he notices the slight differences in their armour and the pattern of their mask markings – some seem to be of a different, outdated style. The ghosts tended to stare too, their eyes flickering behind the shadowed holes of their masks.

But for all the company they now have, Rin's enthusiasm fades into quiet hurt when most ghosts refuse to speak with them. A few are even outright hostile or disdainful. "Why are they like that?" Rin asks in a mumble, sticking close to Sakumo's side.

He hides a grimace. His tarnished reputation must be well known even in the afterlife and now it is affecting Rin as well. "Sorry Rin. I don't think they like me very much."

"It's not your fault, Sakumo-san." The brunette straightens her back, scowling fiercely. "They're not worth talking to anyway," Rin declares. The next ghost that sneers at them gets a rude gesture from the girl and the woman's eyes widen comically.

"Rin!" Sakumo exclaims, scandalised but unable to stop his lips from twitching. "You can't do that!"

She grins up at him, mischief sparking in her eyes. "I'm a rebellious teenager~" she sings, skipping away backwards with a wide grin. "You can't stop me!"

"Rin!" Hurrying after her, Sakumo tries for exasperated but only ends up chuckling. "I'm serious!"

* * *

 **A/N:** If you need a pick-me-up after the angst earlier on, check out my new one-shot The Grandad Trio featuring Sakumo, Jiraiya, Dan and senior citizen discounts at the onsen! :)


	23. Chapter 23

The two of them escape from the barracks up several floors to the administrative area, hoping that they'll get outside and under the sunlight before meeting anymore ghosts. No such luck – they come face to face with another group of ghosts hovering around the busy ANBU missions desk. The trio's heated discussion falls silent immediately. The Uchiha's twin Sharingan flick rapidly from Sakumo to Rin, something like recognition dawning on his face as his gaze settles back on Sakumo.

"Who are you?" the woman with long red hair – an Uzumaki? – questions belligerently, crossing her arms before her jounin flak jacket. "Haven't seen you two before." The other ANBU ghosts exchange silent looks.

"Hyaku," sighs the man with red clan tattoos down each cheek in a tone of long-suffering, "this is exactly why you should go outside more. That's Hatake Sakumo." His eyes were a very pale blue when he leveled an assessing gaze at Sakumo. The Inuzukas and the Hatakes have always been at odds; each pack being naturally wary of the other.

"And what about the girl?" the Uzumaki demands. "I don't see you keeping track of all the ghosts around, do you, huh? Dog-breath Kara?"

"Forgive us for interrupting," Sakumo says stiffly before Kara can continue the argument with Hyaku. "We were just on our way out."

"Bye~" Rin starts waving goodbye.

"Oh no you don't," Hyaku growls, stalking forward only to have the Uchiha catch her elbow.

The Uchiha gives Sakumo and Rin a beam that makes him look very young, a fact only emphasised by the short, messy hair falling into his eyes. "Sakumo-kun! I've been hoping you'd visit!"

Rin glances at Sakumo questioningly but he just gives Uchiha a blank look. "Sorry, do I know you?"

The other ghost laughs loudly. "Not personally but I'm sure you do!"

"Show off," Kara mutters with too much fondness for it to be a complaint.

The Uchiha hops off the desk, straightening his several decades outdated flak jacket. "Welcome to ANBU! I'm Uchiha Kagami." His Sharingan flashes with his grin.

"K-Kagami-sama?!" Sakumo exclaims, hardly able to believe that this cheerful young man is the famous Uchiha he claims to be, not to mention Kaikou-sensei's father.

"Maa- that makes me feel so old," Kagami chuckles, scratching at his hair. "I look younger than you Sakumo-kun!" Sakumo really wanted to protest the use of "-kun"… but this man was dead before Sakumo had even been born. Was dead before Kaikou-sensei reached his teens. "-chan" will be out of question though.

"So have you given up your obsession with your son? Or is your son here?" Kagami asks so cheerfully Sakumo can't even take offense. He is _not_ obsessed. Just... concerned. A concerned parent.

"Yes, Kakashi just joined ANBU. Please take care of him." Sakumo gives a small bow because this man is a _legend_ despite his unassuming appearance — the founder of ANBU himself. No wonder he's still lurking about this place after death.

Kagami flaps his hand, the skin around his eyes creasing happily. "No need for such formalities, Sakumo-kun. Kaikou used to talk about you and your little teammates all the time when he was teaching you all, you know? Ah look at you, all grown up now and with a mini-you!" Leaving Sakumo frozen with embarrassment, the Uchiha turns to smile widely at Rin. "Oh, and a daughter too! How cute."

Rin blushes a deep pink. "T-thank you, Kagami-sama. I'm Rin."

She sneaks a nervous glance up at Sakumo and the older Hatake suddenly realises she didn't correct Kagami's assumption. His heart misses a beat.

 _Oh._

All these years it never seemed quite right to say it – that he thought of her as the daughter he never had. Perhaps she had esteemed parents that she loved, even though she never spoke of them; he couldn't possibly try to usurp their place. And for all that she still looked fourteen, she was seventeen in reality and fiercely independent. He would be content to simply be whoever she needed him to be.

He needs to talk this over with Rin but her uncertainty is already rapidly bleeding into mortification and she's chewing hard on her lip. "A-ah, I'm just—" Silence isn't an option, not now.

Sakumo sets a hand gently on her shoulder and her head jerks up in surprise. "Yeah," Sakumo says sincerely, a proud smile overtaking him. "She's a great med-nin." Rin's bottom lip wobbles dangerously, her eyes becoming large enough to put a puppy to shame. His heart feeling unbearably full, Sakumo reaches out to ruffle her hair. When Rin squeaks and mock-glares in return, neither of them are able to stop grinning like idiots.

"Med-nin," Hyaku echoes, her forest green eyes glinting. "We haven't had a med-nin for a long time." She stalks forward and sticks out her hand to Rin. "Uzumaki Hyaku, seals master." Sakumo blinks in surprise. She doesn't look more than thirty.

The brunette's eyes are wide as she shakes Hyaku's hand. "That's amazing. I only managed to study up to level 2 medical seals before... er. You know."

"That's plenty to work with," Hyaku grins, showing sharp little canines. Letting go, she glances back at Kagami, who inclines his head minutely. "I'll see you both around," she says, nodding to Sakumo and Rin as she taps the Uzushio hitai-ate at her hip. "Duty calls!"

As she shunshins away, Kara gives them a silent wave and disappears after her. ' _Uzushio-nin._ _What sort of duties does a ghost have?_ ' Sakumo wonders. Earlier on, they had been discussing something so seriously too.

"I'm afraid that just leaves me!" Kagami says brightly. "Have you seen the swimming pool?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Sakumo implicitly accepted Rin as his daughter :) She's still going to call him Sakumo-san though, since it would be awkward for them to change things suddenly. Don't worry, KakaRin is still a thing since they're still not actual siblings.

Uchihas come in two types: angsty and obnoxiously cheerful. Kagami is one of the latter :) Like Sakumo, Kagami followed his son Kaikou around too, before Kaikou died (and didn't become a ghost).

In case you don't remember who Kagami is in canon, he's Shisui's ancestor. He's also Danzou's good friend, which means he's actually an old man, but ghosts don't age so he still looks 25, the age he died.


	24. Chapter 24

The swimming pool turns out to be a training ground where ANBU agents try to drown each other with the largest Suitons they can muster. The drainage systems are working overtime but water still floods up to their calves. At Kagami's insistence, the three of them stand in the crossfire like sitting ducks, enjoying the benefits of their incorporealness. It's amazing, in a nerve-wracking sort of way that tests Sakumo's every instinct to dodge.

Rin is enjoying herself though — 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing' at every water senbon, cannon or wave that she sees very, very close up. Every now and then the jutsus would pass through their bodies, sending shivers coursing down Sakumo's spine. It's weirdly like a water park without wetness involved; and without the lethality that used to accompany such jutsus, seeing water spray overhead is admittedly pretty.

Soon, even ANBU have to break for lunch and they follow along down to the canteen. "Don't worry about the others," the Uchiha says quietly, nodding to another ghost who had greeted him on the way. "They'll come around. Now that they know you two are welcome here, they won't dare to start a fight. "

"You seem to run a tight ship around here," Sakumo observes.

Kagami flashes him a sharp grin. "I do what's necessary. I don't really care what's happening out there - that's why you haven't seen me around - but I won't stand for anyone disrupting ANBU operations." He winks. "Village security and all that."

"We'll do our best not to be disruptive, then," Sakumo replies, smiling wryly.

"Kakashi's there!" Rin exclaimed, pointing to a spiky head of silver weaving through the sparse crowd, heading to the tray return area.

Kagami scratches his chin with narrowed eyes. "The familial resemblance is simply uncanny, isn't it."

Sakumo is about to reply when a sudden movement at the corner of his eye seizes his attention. Just as Kakashi finishes returning his tray, a heavy-set man with the boar mask grabs the teen from behind, slamming him into the ground with a body throw over the shoulder. Sakumo and Rin stare aghast at the unprovoked attack and Kagami winces.

Kakashi skids a few paces across the cement floor before crashing into a chair with a loud clatter that echoes throughout the area. The teen is on his feet a split second later, eyeing Boar warily as he drops into a fighting stance. Most ANBU have reflexively drawn weapons at the sudden show of violence and the canteen has fallen into a tense, anticipatory silence.

Boar thrusts his masked face out cockily. "That all you got, Sharingan no Kakashi?" Boar taunts, beckoning with two fingers. "I'll turn you into minced dog before you land a scratch on my armour."

A few ANBU groan as they tuck their weapons away and one even makes a rude hand gesture at Boar, but most look on with interest. "Keep it in the training grounds, will you?" A short-haired woman says snidely as she waves her chopsticks. A towel is slung over her shoulder and her damp hair sticks to her face. "You boys play rough and we'll have to replace our canteen again. Idiots."

"Again?" Sakumo raises his eyebrows at Kagami, who only shrugs sheepishly.

"It happens."

"I don't want to fight," Kakashi mutters, relaxing slightly but keeping his eye on Boar.

"Coward," Boar declares. "Spineless worm like your father." Kakashi stiffens and so does Sakumo. A harsh frown comes over Rin's face.

"Oh dear." Kagami mutters unhappily as the whispering grows twofold and someone laughs. "I do apologise for that. ANBU these days..."

"It's hardly your fault, Kagami-sama," Sakumo sighs, running his hand through his hair in a resigned gesture.

"Don't take it out on me if you don't like my father," Kakashi says coldly, sticking his hands into his pockets before stalking off in a slouch.

Boar snarls and lunges at Kakashi's turned back, but in a flash, Kakashi has his ninjato unsheathed and in his hand, the tip of it etching a long line across the front of Boar's armour before the man manages to twist out of the way. An appreciative murmur rises from the growing crowd and Boar glares, pride smarting. "You little..."

The corner of Sakumo's mouth twitches with a repressed smile and Rin's frown morphs into a satisfied grin.

"Sorry," Kakashi says disingenuously, "I don't really like hugs." He sheathes the blade with a flashy twirl that only winds up Boar further.

Before Boar can reply, Deer stands up on his chair, his tall form even taller as he raised his hand high in greeting. "Hound. Spar with me!"

A woman with the snake mask shunshins behind Kakashi as well, making the silver-haired teen flinch as she leans over his shoulder. "Humour me too, Hound-kun."

Kagami chuckles when he notices the way both Sakumo and Rin's expressions darken. "Kakashi's too famous for his own good, isn't he?" They only sigh in reply.

Kakashi slides his hands back into his pockets with affected nonchalance. "Fine. But tomorrow morning."

"I'll spread the word," Snake chuckles, sounding delighted as she backs off. Kakashi says nothing, seemingly resigned to their interest.

Sakumo really can't see this going well...


	25. Chapter 25

Around mid-morning, Snake shows up to drag a very grumpy Kakashi out of his room. After yesterday's debacle, Kara had appeared muttering about treaties with Iwa and stubborn old goats, making agitated gestures at Kagami all the while. Kagami had run off immediately, but not before promising to drop by to watch Kakashi's spars.

"Your hair is sticking in all the wrong directions," the Snake sniggers, reaching out to poke the spikes of Hatake silver sticking out unevenly to the left. The hair behind Kakashi's head, however, is pressed too flat from a night's sleep.

"Growing it out is the only solution," Sakumo says serenely, ignoring Rin's skeptical look.

Kakashi swats Snake's hand away. "It's just like that," he replies irritably. Nevertheless, he charges a weak lightning style along his gloved hands and combs his fingers through his hair. There's a dangerous crackling sound.

Rin bursts out giggling at the misuse of jutsu. "It's worse!" Snake exclaims, dumbfounded.

"It's sticking out _evenly_ , now," Kakashi retorts smugly, sliding his ANBU mask over his face.

* * *

The ANBU training grounds stretch beneath the outdoor training grounds numbered 10 to 15. Corridors branching out from the lowest floor of the ANBU building lead in the direction of the respective training rooms. Snake chooses the one going to Training Ground 7 and the narrow, dim passages seem to press down on them all the way. Sakumo can't help but heave a relieved exhale when they finally pull open the deceptively plain door marked "TG7"... only to have his breath catch in surprise.

There are at least forty ANBU perched on the four vertical walls, in all sorts of masks, both in uniform and out. The sound of chatter only increases when their waiting audience realises Kakashi is here. Snake peers down at the frozen teen and Sakumo gets a distinct impression that she is smirking behind her mask.

"W-what's this?" Rin stutters, peeking over Kakashi's shoulder.

"You really are quite the celebrity, Hound-kun," Snake murmurs, still holding the door open solicitously. "They're mostly just here to watch and do some reconnaissance, so don't you worry."

Kakashi finally finds his voice. "You really don't to things by halves, Snake-san," he says stiffly.

"I strive to please."

"Oi, I haven't got all day!" someone shouts, fed up with Snake and Kakashi hovering by the door. "Chickening out, Hound?"

Snake makes a hissing laugh and shoves Kakashi forward, earning herself a glare. She slams the door and immediately the walls light up with seals – chakra dampening and absorbing seals, structural reinforcement seals and silencing seals.

Snake struts up to the centre of the room while Kakashi drags his feet, taking in his audience as he casts his gaze about. "Welcome, one and all!" she says theatrically, clapping her hands to quieten the assembled ANBU. "I present to you – Hound!"

She bows. There's a collective sigh that feels like a gust of wind breezing through the room. A loud boo echoes off the walls.

Sakumo glances at Rin and sees the same bemused look reflected on her face. "It's like a show," she says lowly. "ANBU are so weird." The last word is dragged out slowly.

"What do you say to ten rounds of ten minutes, with five minute breaks in between?" Seemingly oblivious to her audience's poor receptiveness to her antics, Snake turns to Kakashi with an arm thrown out.

"Fine," Kakashi grunts, crossing his arms. His shoulders are tight with uneasiness.

"Wonderful!" she exclaims. "Now as the organiser I have first dibs—"

"What the hell Snake!" There's an outburst of protest but Snake hollers over them all, showing off an impressive lung capacity.

"—the other nine places, starting with the first fight, starts auctioning… now!" The grumbling subsides in favour of the calling of bids and soon barely restrained chaos erupts.

Kakashi grabs Snake hard by the shoulder and turns her around, his eyes flashing behind his mask. " _I didn't agree to this_ ," he hisses sharply. "I'm not some kind animal in a fighting pit you can auction!"

Snake just blinks innocently at him. "You were going to fight anyway." When Kakashi doesn't relent, she shrugs. "How about 40% commission?"

"500 ryo!" someone shouts and Kakashi stills, his hand sliding away to drop by his side. His two ghosts watch in trepidation, practically able to hear the cogs in his brain turning.

"75% in my favour."

Snake scoffs, her knuckles coming to rest on her hips. "You're kidding. Do you know how much time I spent convincing almost every free ANBU to attend? We split half-half."

The teen crosses his arms. "And I'm the one who's going to get all sweaty and bruised." He holds up his thumb and index finger. "70% or I'm leaving."

A lithe woman lands silently besides them, her aquamarine streaked mask flashing in the bleached lighting. "820 ryo, Snake-senpai." She straightens from her crouch and cocks her head at Kakashi. "Pleasure to meet you, Hound."

Kakashi gives her a sharp nod. "Pleasure to meet you as well…"

"Mantis."

The silver-haired teen inclines his head. "Mantis." He whips around to glare at Snake. "Well?"

"Maa— you drive a hard bargain Hound-kun." Snake sighs but it's exaggerated, belying the pleased slump of her shoulders. "70% it is." She turns to the crowd again, throwing her hands up. "Let's begin!"

Sakumo lets out a small "huh" of disbelief as the assembled ANBU start cheering. He'd always thought that ANBU were the stoic, silent type.

They're just repressed madmen in truth.

* * *

 **A/N:** ANBU is a zoo. They're willing to pay to fight Kakashi because he'll soon be busy with missions and the like. Not everyone who wants to fight him will be able to catch him at the right time + convince him to agree. Since fighting ability is very important in ANBU, it's also a good chance to establish pecking order publicly.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** No-one is going to shout out the name of their jutsus because it's not very smart to give your opponent forewarning, but I will be putting the name of the techniques in footnotes :) Kakashi is going to be strong and smart but not completely OP :)

* * *

Mantis has a fearsome sort of determination to her as she whips out ninjutsu after ninjutsu, sending anything from Katons to Suitons hurtling towards Kakashi with frightening accuracy. Kakashi flits across the floor in a blur, shunshin quickening every movement as he leaps, twists, and flips with the agility of a cat.

As Kakashi escapes another crashing wave of water – voluminous despite being drawn from thin air – she shunshins through the spray to come up behind the teen. Mask tilted up fraction, she spits out a senbon while throwing a kunai simultaneously. Sakumo's insides twist hard as Kakashi jerks away from the kunai, only to put himself in the way of the senbon, the slim length of steel perfectly positioned to hit the tenketsu at the nape of his neck.

The edge of the kunai opens up a line of red but the senbon bounces off the metal plate of the gloved hand Kakashi cups behind his neck. With a flick of his other hand as he turns, Kakashi sends several kunai flying in retaliation, each tied to a length of near invisible wire, forcing Mantis to backflip away. The wires pull taut midway, changing the kunais' trajectory into a sudden sideways swing, making Mantis' eyes widen behind her mask. She raises her left arm, the armoured plates along her forearm managing to block most of the kunais but two slip past her defences to carve long grooves across her ceramic mask.

Mantis slides to a stop, her feet digging grooves into the wet earth as she adjusts her mask back into position. "Ouch," she complains, her voice lilted with humour. "You shouldn't aim for a lady's face."

Kakashi's hands twitches restlessly where they are positioned before his chest, ready to fly into a jutsu. At his neck, a crimson bead of blood wells within the tear in his mask before it disappears, soaked into the fabric. "If only you stop aiming for my neck," Kakashi huffs.

Mantis tilts her head in acknowledgement. "Touché."

Then they're clashing again, Kakashi turning on the offensive this time, having observed Mantis for long enough to work out the pattern of her movements. He sends out several waves of shuriken to force Mantis towards a corner – the audience has to dodge – and his hands blur into seals.

His form doubles and splits into two, each running in the opposite direction as a blinding length of lightning pulls between their extended hands*. Boxed in, Mantis takes off running up the wall with chakra-sticky feet, both Kakashis following close behind. When she reaches the ceiling, she turns and lobs a several fireballs at the teen in an attempt to counter his Kage Bunshin.

One Kakashi dodges to the side but the other Kakashi drops off the ceiling, plummeting towards the floor below. Rin shrieks and a strangled sound escapes Sakumo but before anyone can do anything, the falling Kakashi disappears just as one of the lights behind Mantis goes out.

A rod of lightning spears along the ceiling, grazing Mantis in the side and sending a smattering of sizzling blood onto the floor below. Cursing, Mantis staggers away, clutching her wounded side where her armour had been seared through.

"Ah... a Kawarimi!" Kagami exclaims. Sure enough, there are two Kakashis sticking to the ceiling again, one in front of Mantis and one behind, where the light had gone out. A length of crackling lightning stretches between their hands.

The switched-out light bulb tumbles down to the ground, as if in slow motion, its glass glinting even as its white-hot tungsten filament cools to a glowing red.

"Time's up," Snake yells from the sidelines and someone shunshins out to catch the light bulb before it smashes to smithereens. Kakashi's lightning fizzles out and the room seems dimmer for it.

"Nice feint." Mantis laughs as she straightens painfully. Kakashi's clone disappears in a fizzle of blue sparks.

"Thank you," he replies. "Are you alright?"

The ANBU waves his worries away and they begin walking down the walls. "I think you cauterised it."

"Medic~" Snake calls loudly and Mantis rolls her eyes.

Once they've reached the floor again, Kakashi and Mantis hook their fingers together in the sign of reconciliation. It's only when Snake starts fussing over them that Sakumo finally feels like he can breathe properly again. Kakashi is a capable warrior - more than capable - but there's a part of Sakumo that will always be worried about his boy.

If only Kakashi would stop plummeting off two-floor-high ceilings and spare his father a heart attack.

"Kakashi is awesome isn't he?" Rin cheers, having recovered her excitement. "He's going to beat all of them!"

' _Of course he is_ ,' Sakumo thinks fondly, watching Kakashi sneak the mouth of a water bottle behind his mask.

* * *

*Raiton – Kage Bunshin no Jutsu; Raiton – Raiden

 **A/N:** Did I manage to explain what Kakashi did properly? Basically, Kakashi and his clone chase Mantis up to the ceiling and when she throws the fireballs, Kakashi dodges while his clone falls off the ceiling. Halfway through the fall, the clone Kawarimis with the light bulb of one of the ceiling lights behind Mantis. Then the Kakashis do a Raiden and when the lightning forms between them, it pierces Mantis' side.

 **Omake**

"One Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi declares as his second opponent flies into the air screaming, his hands clenched over his bum.

"That's my boy!" Sakumo shouts, springing to his feet and punching the air. Rin and Kagami faint dead away.

(In Ep4 of Lee's Springtime of Youth, a foreign ninja said he was attacked by Sakumo with that "jutsu". Can you imagine Sakumo teaching it to tiny Kakashi?! And if anyone asks Kakashi what he does when he misses his father, Kakashi will just smirk and say "let me show you", and then One Thousand Years of Death them.)


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Kagami was supposed to join Sakumo and Rin this chapter and they'll say hello and everything, but he slipped out of my subconsciousness and popped up last chapter! :O Sorry guys, this is what happens when I edit multiple chapters at once. Anyway it's just a small incongruity so it won't affect anything :)

Later there will be a part where lots of things happening at once. Please let me know if it's unclear, so I can write better next time! :)

* * *

Kakashi must be tired after seven matches but he's not showing any sign of fatigue; not when showing weakness is a weakness in itself. Neither are his opponents going easy on him – Deer, his eighth opponent, is engaging Kakashi in a bone-cracking taijutsu match. Thankfully Kakashi has more than enough hot-blooded spars with his Eternal Rival Gai. However, unlike Gai, the ANBU has a good thirty centimetres of height over Kakashi. It has become faintly ridiculous how many times Kakashi has tried to trip the man up while ducking under his longer-reaching swings.

"I'm not really sure whether this is a good idea," Sakumo turns to murmur to Kagami, who is sitting on Rin's other side. "Letting so many people know what techniques you have can't be good."

The Uchiha shakes his head, a crooked smile dancing at the edges of his mouth. "I'm sure Kakashi-chan is picking up more techniques than he's revealing." He points at his eyes. "Sharingan."

"…you don't mind?" Rin pipes up hesitantly. "Obito gave his eye to Kakashi but the Uchiha elders weren't really happy."

"Nah, I'm rather proud of Obito," he says reassuringly. "He's one of the ones with his head screwed on right. Hmm Fugaku too. The rest of them can go - _ahem_ \- improve their attitude. Good job with the transplant, by the way."

A ghost of a smile touches her lips. "It was Obito's last wish." She hugs her knees to her chest and Sakumo reaches over to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. Blinking up at him, Rin's smile grows lighter, no longer so weighed down by melancholy.

Sakumo turns back to Kakashi's match only to see his son get sent flying by a punch straight to his midriff. He's on his feet in an instant, trying to come up with something to help Kakashi but coming up frustratingly blank. It's Snake who darts by, a blur of black and grey as she throws herself behind Kakashi to catch him, cushioning what would have been a rather rough impact with the wall.

"Kakashi!" Rin shouts, leaping up to get to her teammate, only to get jerked back by Kagami's sudden grip on her wrist.

"Stop," the Uchiha says with uncharacteristic solemnness, his Sharingan swirling to life as he stares at the green glow wrapping her fingers. The glow sputters into nothing as Rin stares wide-eyed at Kagami, her whole body tensed.

Behind her, blue lights ripple outwards from Snake and Kakashi, spreading across the walls as cascades of seals flare before fading away again. Snake peels the two of them off the wall, dropping Kakashi with a groan before her. "Ugh… you okay kid?" There's a hint of worry hidden in her gruff words.

Gasping, the teen's hand goes to his neck as he tilted his head to the side. There's a nasty popping sound as he rotates his shoulders. "Yeah," he grits out, his eyes fixed on Deer as he climbs back up to his feet. "Yeah," Kakashi repeats. "No problem."

"Let her go please," Sakumo says firmly, reaching out to remove Kagami's hand. The Uchiha lets go as if burnt, seriousness morphing into a sheepish grin.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, Rin-chan," Kagami apologises, sincerity coating every word. His Sharingan fades back to black.

Still wary, Sakumo takes Rin's arm gently to guide her into sitting down beside him and away from Kagami. A quick glance at Kakashi confirms that he's up and fighting again, looking no worse for wear, and Sakumo pushes down his worry for the time being. "Are you alright?" he whispers to Rin. Grabbing someone like that is a faux pas in the shinobi world unless its a spar. If it had been Sakumo, he might have tried to take Kagami's arm off by sheer reflex.

The slight reddening of the skin at her wrist is what makes anger bubble up in him, though.

"I'm okay!" Rin whispers back, flushing. "I won't break!"

' _That's not the point_ ,' Sakumo muses silently, but he lets the matter drop.

Rin leans past Sakumo to look at Kagami. "It's okay!" she says at a normal volume, injecting cheer into her voice in an effort to lighten the atmosphere. "But why did you stop me?"

Kagami scratches the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Ah... there's not anything we can do anyway. And Kakashi-chan was fine in the end, right?"

 _'He's hiding something,'_ Sakumo realises. A ghost of Kagami's age and his ability can't have failed to notice their ability to use jutsus, no matter how little. His mind is buzzing with unanswered questions but he forces himself to relax. "Over these years, Rin has trained to heal."

"Can you heal well even now?" Kagami questions with strangely intense interest.

"Um... Not as well as I could when I was, er, alive, but I can do stuff like relieving pain and healing small wounds. Cuts up to 2mm deep, usually. More if I try really hard."

"Hnn..." the Uchiha looks contemplative. He glances over, finally acknowledging Sakumo's unhappy stare with an almost imperceptible tilt of his head. "Rin-chan, do you see Hyaku over there?" He points at a splash of Uzumaki red on the far wall. "Can you do me a favour and let her know I cancelled our meeting later with Juurou?"

"Uh, sure." Rin glances between the two older men, probably sensing the tension between them. "Kagami-sama. You can just tell me if you need to speak to Sakumo-san privately, you know?" She smiles sweetly before disappearing in a shunshin.

Kagami rubs at his eyes, his shoulders drooping. "I forget she's not a kid." He gives Sakumo a wan smile. "Come on, let's speak outside."

* * *

 **A/N:** Why did Kagami stop Rin? Tomorrow: Kagami and Sakumo have a Very Serious Talk that lasts two chapters, meaning double update! :)


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Thank you's to Jutten for reminding me (some time ago) that chakra is composed of both physical and spiritual energy :)

* * *

The two of them stand in the barely lit corridor, the silence between them stretching them uncomfortably. Kagami runs his hands through his hair, messing up the tousled raven locks further as he sighs. "Kara is so much better at explaining this kind of thing..."

Sakumo smiles tightly. "Kagami-sama."

"Okay, okay." The older man drops his hands by his side, his eyes coming up to meet Sakumo's. "You know how chakra works, right? It's made of physical and spiritual energy. Mould it in the right proportions, yada yada, and you get jutsus, right?"

Sakumo nods slowly, unsure where this is recap of chakra theory is going.

"We don't have physical bodies. So where does the physical energy making up our chakra come from?" Sakumo blinks, disturbed that he hasn't considered this before. There is a pained expression on Kagami's face as Sakumo's brain begins to connect the dots.

Kakashi.

"It doesn't make sense..." Sakumo breathes, horrified by the implications. "How can this kind of transfer occur?"

The Uchiha only shakes his head. "I've tested it. I can see the flow of energy with my Sharingan." His brows draw together slightly. "I'll bet your last thought was of Kakashi, as for Rin. If that kind of regret is powerful enough to tie us to this mortal plane, this sort of link isn't impossible."

Sakumo swallows hard, his mouth dry as he frantically sifts through all his memories. "How dangerous is it?" Oh god, if Sakumo had been hurting Kakashi whenever he stubbornly tried to get a jutsu to work... Kakashi often looks tired and listless, but how much of it is because of guilt and grief and the war, and how much of it is because they'd been draining him of his physical energy?

Kagami shifts his weight on his feet and dread pools in Sakumo's stomach. "Well, normally it's no big deal. Kakashi's dealing well enough with two ghosts."

"You can't be sure about that," Sakumo murmurs, the weight of his negligence pressing down on his chest.

Kagami gives him a sympathetic look. "The problem is that when our jutsus sap their energy, it can cause blackouts, fainting spells and the like, which can be fatal in a fight. And if the person is severely injured or exhausted - close to death - losing more physical energy can tip the scales."

The Uchiha's words make Sakumo's stomach turn. He will never forget that moment when Kakashi had collapsed after killing Rin, leaving his unconscious body at the mercy of their pursuers. Kakashi would have certainly died if not for Sakumo's Kuchiyose - and even now Sakumo would have done the same desperate thing - but if that jutsu had killed his son in the process... Sakumo doesn't know how he would have been able to live with himself.

"This doesn't mean you can't use jutsus. You just have to very careful," Kagami says soothingly.

Sakumo stews in miserable silence for a moment before meeting the older ghost's gaze again. "Thank you for warning me, Kagami-sama. I'll make sure Rin knows as well. And... I'm sorry, for earlier."

"Please don't apologise! I was out of line. Hyaku and I fight like cats and dogs all the time and I forget..." Kagami laughs awkwardly. "But there's also another thing I want to say..."

Resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands, Sakumo winces. "Tell me all the bad new in one go, please."

The corner of Kagami's mouth twitches before his humour dims once more. "You and Rin shouldn't follow Kakashi along on his missions."

* * *

 **A/N:** double-update so click on the next chapter! :3


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Kagami explains how babies - no - how _ghosts_ are made.

* * *

"What? Why?" Sakumo's pale brows draw together in bewilderment.

"The two of you aren't suited for ANBU. The kind of missions we do — watching Kakashi carry them out will affect your impression of him."

"I won't stop loving him," Sakumo protests vehemently. "It's not as if I'm a civilian. I don't have any glamourous illusions about what shinobi do and neither does Rin."

"It's different," Kagami maintains, his dark eyes like bottomless pools. "For the mission objective we would kill downed enemies, we would kill civilians, we would employ torture. A man like you and a med-nin like Rin wouldn't even accept these kinds of missions."

Indignation slips out of Sakumo's grasp before it can even fully form. Kagami is right; Sakumo would not have failed his mission if he had the kind of iron mindset ANBU agents had. "It's not a criticism," the Uchiha assures quietly. "Konoha needs men like you just as much as they need men like me." Surprised and grateful, Sakumo clenched jaw loosens. Kagami smiles faintly, his tousled hair slipping into his eyes.

Still, Sakumo feels that he has to hold his ground. "No matter what Kakashi does, it's to serve the village. I won't ever think badly of him for that."

"Knowing is one thing; watching is another," Kagami argues right back. "There's a reason why ANBU guard their anonymity. Kakashi might want that anonymity too."

The words strike unexpectedly close to home. Sakumo closes his eyes and all he can see is Yoriko huddled at the kotatsu in the middle of the night, her knees hugged to her chest and her blood-splattered mask discarded near the doorway. _"Sorry Sakumo..."_ She must have heard the creak of the steps.

She always apologised and he never knew what to say in the face of her vulnerability. " _It's okay,_ " he tried, coming to a stop at the foot of the staircase. At that time, he thought he must have said something right since she turned around to glance at him over her shoulder, a relieved light in her eyes.

Now he realises it's what he didn't ask, what he didn't demand answers for, that made her relieved.

That distance had always hurt him, though.

Still...

"I don't think I can just stand by and let Kakashi get hurt without at least _trying_ to help him." He _knows_ he can help and he has. It's his responsibility as a father and it's the only comfort that has kept Rin and himself going all these years.

Kagami looks sympathetic but in the end it's another refusal. "That's the thing about ANBU. Unlike normal missions, we handle sensitive issues related to village security. Unless it's a mission to Iwagakure or the small nations... we have strict non-interference treaties with the other nations' ghosts." Sakumo boggles at that. "I don't know if you remember this because you were still a kid then, but there was this time when a lot of our top jounin started dropping dead of heart attacks and aneurysms. The hospital staff were cracking their heads over it all and no-one could figure out the cause." A wry smile accompanies what Kagami recounts next. "The afterlife was having a war actually. There was a lot mission sabotaging and assassination attempts on Sandaime-sama."

Struck speechless, Sakumo can only shake his head. He understands how easy it is for a ghost to kill. He can approach a person with them none the wiser, stick his hand through their head or their heart, and use a Raiton. Simple. He has taken advantage of it before on several rare occasions, picking off Kakashi's enemies before they can sneak up on him.

He just didn't think the afterlife capable of being so organised. Apparently, with Kagami running things, it is.

"There's some leeway during wartime and there's not enough manpower to bother with normal missions, but all the villages watch their ANBU missions very closely." There's that apologetic look in his eyes again. "If Kakashi gets injured or captured, you wouldn't be able to help him without inciting war. It would be kinder to yourself to just let him be."

"If anything happens to Kakashi, then I can't stand by all the more!" Sakumo retorts hotly and Kagami's expression hardens.

"I'm always up for discussing things, but you have to understand that these non-interference treaties are important. You can't go off on a frolic of your own. There are protocols and negotiations in place. We can't risk another war again, not when the number of Konohan ghosts are outnumbered by the other nations' due to our rate of mission success."

At Sakumo's mulish silence, Kagami's lips thin into a grim line. "Do you know why the ghosts in ANBU don't like you?" The blunt question opens up a sudden slash of hurt in Sakumo's chest and his throat clenches at Kagami's cold tone. The Uchiha continues, his voice low. "There are two things which make a ghost. Suicide and regret. Most if not all of the ghosts around here killed themselves in order to protect village secrets from falling into enemy hands."

It goes unspoken what Sakumo had done _instead._ Shame crashes over the silver-haired jounin like a tsunami and his back hits the wall, breath coming out in a ragged exhale.

Oh. Oh of course. All those suicide jutsus standard for the ANBU...

"We still have a duty to the village, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Kakashi is an ANBU agent now. If Kakashi is suffering for the village's sake, don't undo his efforts." Kagami's tone gentles, a misty look of grief coming over him. "I understand how you feel. I was a father too. When Kaikou died so far away from home... the bloody tears I'd shed for him. But that's how things are."

Unable to meet that unyielding gaze, Sakumo averts his eyes. Kagami's hand settles on his shoulder and he barely resists the urge to flinch away. "Even if you were alive, you wouldn't be able to follow him on his missions. From what I've seen, you boy can take care of himself. So spare yourself the pain."

The Uchiha's hand drops away. "Come on Sakumo-kun, don't make that face. It probably won't even come to that, so don't worry. ANBU with less talent than your son come out alive all the time. I'm just telling you this so you understand what's going on." _And who's in charge._

"Yes," Sakumo murmurs faintly, pressing the heel of his palm to the headache throbbing behind his eyes. He needs time alone to sort out his thoughts. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

* * *

 **A/N:** Kagami is good cop and bad cop all in one and Sakumo's on one huge emotional roller coaster. Kagami is doing it for the good of the village but he's not above a bit of manipulation. This guy is Danzou's friend, remember? ;)


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** It always worries me when I double-update because one chapter will have significantly less visitors than the other. Does that mean some of you didn't realise I put up two chapters at once yesterday? Hmm. I guess here's a reminder? :3 If it's not that... then nevermind :P

* * *

They slip back into the training room only to see Kakashi trying to fend off... Rin. Sakumo's feet freeze on the spot, shocked at the rage contorting Rin's gentle features and the flashing ninjato in her hand.

"You killed me," she accuses lowly. The whole room is silent except for the singing of metal against metal as Kakashi blocks swing after swing, never attacking. Sakumo can only imagine what expression is hidden under Kakashi's Hound mask.

' _No, she's not Rin. Rin would never...'_ Sakumo's frantic gaze finds the real Rin is standing at the sidelines with Hyaku holding her in a half-embrace. She's on the verge of furious tears, her fingers winding and unwinding in her hair. He feels as if a stone had been dropped into his stomach. "A henge," Sakumo concludes, anger sparking to life in his chest.

"A permanent henge that Snake specialises in," Kagami says, a small frown marring his brow.

Indeed the Snake mask dangles at her hip, bumping up against her thigh as she presses her advantage against Kakashi. The sight stings of betrayal.

"How dare you use _her face_!" Kakashi yells, his voice scrubbed raw with emotion. He's panting hard, his chest heaving beneath his armour. "Fight me as yourself, you coward!"

Not-Rin only sneers, the expression twisting so unnaturally on that familiar face that Kakashi manages to switch to the offensive and kick her in the stomach. But there's still no power behind it — the blow only sends her staggering a pace.

"Kakashi-kun..." She pretends to moan in breathless pain and the silver-haired jounin entire body tenses up, his grip on the hilt of his ninjato becoming white-knuckled.

"She doesn't call me Kakashi-kun," he hisses between clenched teeth. "Stop this right now or _I will kill you_."

His opponent looks up beneath her lashes, smoothing back short brown hair from her stolen face, a smirk playing on her lips. "Just _Kakashi_ , is it?" Her tone is steeped in suggestion. The expression fades just as quickly as it came, her eyes widening in a piercing glare that brings the white around her irises into view. "Come at me with Chidori like you mean it then!"

Whispers grow, carrying into the air snatches of conversation. _Friend Killer Kakashi_ , someone says, then another, then another, until the entire room is resounding with half-heard accusations.

 _Friend killer_ —

— _his_ _teammate_ — _Chidori._

— _never stood a chance_ —

 _The mission_ —

— _why?_

 _Hound-san?_

— _killed her..._

Kakashi's standing in the middle of it all, his masked face bowed and his body stiff, his left fist clenched so tightly that his arm shakes with fine tremors. A soft, half-stifled sound catches his ear and Sakumo turns to see Rin with her hand pressed over her mouth, hunched over with the weight of hurt.

Kakashi snaps, leaping—

And the ear-piercing shriek of Chidori bursts into the air. The icy blue flaring around Kakashi hand leaves a streak of light that burns itself into Sakumo retinas and forces him narrow his eyes against the glare. Kakashi flies at Snake, barely a blur, his Sharingan glowing behind his slit-eyed mask.

She is standing one moment and down on the ground the next, her ninjato spinning across the floor in silvery loops. Kakashi is straddling her torso with his hand raised to strike, his whole body vibrating with barely restrained fury. "Snake-taichou!" someone cries out, but no-one dares to interfere for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

The _chi-chi-chi_ of Kakashi's jutsu wails to a deafening pitch before he extinguishes it with a snap of his hand into a fist, all that light suddenly disappearing as if sucked into a black hole within his palm.

"Chidori isn't a jutsu I will use on a comrade," Kakashi says softly, dangerously, and the whole room holds their breath. Not-Rin's expression is carefully blank. "But don't test me." He jerks her by shoulder clasp of her armour roughly. "Take off that face now!"

The... _satisfied_ grin on not-Rin's face grows but Snake obligingly unclips her mask from her belt, telegraphing the motion carefully, and slips it over her face. Her form shimmers hazily before shifting back into her original stature, her hair lengthening to a shoulder-length teal again.

Between the ignition of Chidori and its extinguishment, Kakashi has matured before Sakumo's eyes yet again. For all the rage that had erupted within the teen, he had not lashed out like a hurt, wild animal. Kakashi had conquered himself instead, conquered Snake's provocations, and for that Sakumo can't be prouder.

In an uncharacteristic show of spite, Kakashi shoves Snake against the ground again before stalking away. No-one stops him as he wrenches open the door and disappears. Snake's gaze follows him all the way even as she sits up, the contemplative glint in her eye not quite hidden by her mask.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** Busy day today! :) Writing a personal statement for exchange applications is hard. (And a lot less interesting than writing this chapter!)

* * *

Rin floats out of the training room, uncaring that she is passing through several ANBU as she does so. She looks as though she has seen, well, a ghost. The brunette spots Sakumo and her eyes light up. "Sakumo-san!" Wiping at her eyes self-consciously, she comes bounding over. Kagami had already left.

"Rin." At the sight of her red-rimmed eyes, Sakumo bends down slightly in concern.

Her lips are pressed into a thin line. "I wish Kakashi had punched her, argh!" Her fists are clenched as she makes a noise of frustration.

There's a small commotion as Snake pushes through the crowded corridor (stepping through a very affronted Rin as well), throwing hasty apologies over her shoulder. "I'm going to haunt her for the rest of her life!" Rin threatens, glaring at the woman back. "She's going to suffer some real paranormal activity!" Sakumo can't help cracking a small smile.

Hyaku appears from the training room and throws her arm over Rin's shoulders. "Come on, we can have a taijutsu match of our own. Blow off some steam." The Uzumaki grins widely and Rin's frown deepens.

"Will Kakashi be alright?"

The elder Hatake smiles mildly. "I'm sure he will be, don't worry. You should go spar with Hyaku and take your mind off what happened. Just don't bully her too much, yes?"

Reluctant amusement pulls at the corner of Rin's mouth and Hyaku barks in laughter. "C'mon girlie. Your little boyfriend will be fine."

"H-he's not— K-Kakashi isn't—" Rin stammers, her face flushing hotly. Hyaku just smirks and takes off sprinting, Rin following hot on her heels, shrieking.

A genuine smile curls Sakumo's lips. He'll have to remember to thank Hyaku later.

* * *

Sakumo finds his son and Snake on the forested edge of one of the empty outdoor training grounds. Snake must have intercepted Kakashi on the way to the cenotaph. They're secluded enough that they don't bother hushing their voices and their conversation filters through the dense greenery before he glimpses them. Settling on an overhanging bough, the older Hatake peers down at them.

Kakashi's chakra is pulsing with agitation, ragged around the edges with the same anger and hurt that's written in his eyes. His mask hangs at his hip and without his hitai-ate, the Sharingan flashes blood-red from between silver strands. "You had no right to—"

"Do you think your enemies will care?" Snake cuts in sharply, her tone still infuriatingly calm. "Your weaknesses are so obvious that any enemy-nin with a half-decent knowledge of your history will know what to say and who to henge into."

Kakashi bristles. "What Rin looks like is hardly common knowledge."

"What about your father? The White Fang is no footnote in history and you're just as screwed up over him. Want me to prove it to you?" Snake's hand goes to her mask and Sakumo's breath lodges painfully in his throat.

" _Don't._ " The anger bleeds out of Kakashi's expression, leaving his face pale. Sakumo can't decipher what his son's reaction means and the wondering spins his head.

The older ANBU drops her hand. "I see."

"What do you want from me," Kakashi asks flatly, his expression completely closing off.

"An opportunity to teach you."

Kakashi's eyebrows disappear beneath his fringe of spiky silver. "Your recruitment strategy is terrible."

"Should I be plying you with sweets?" Snake mocks. The dappled shade from the leaves above plays across her emerald-streaked mask as she juts out her chin. "What do you prefer, dango or ice cream?"

"Neither," Kakashi growls. "I don't need to learn your cheap tricks."

"Don't you?" Snake replies wryly. "Alright, I'll be the first to admit you're one tough cookie. In fact, after today's showing you'll probably be flooded with invitations from captains to join their teams. But let me tell you something. You'll be stagnating." The silver-haired teen is listening intently despite the way his eyes are narrowed in skepticism. "You have more than enough jutsus crammed in that brain of yours to kill a man a thousand different ways; learning more isn't going to help you. No..." she breathes, leaning forward slightly to meet Kakashi's gaze straight on. "You can feel it – what you're missing. Another jutsu isn't going to do it for you anymore.

"Even with all your masks and silences, you still feel so painfully _you._ You're trapped in your skin. Trapped in your head. Trapped in all those memories and regrets and it's just _killing you,_ isn't it?" Snake straightens, scrutinising Kakashi through the black-rimmed slits of her mask. Her words have him mesmerised; his chest barely moves with each shallow drawing of breath and his Sharingan spins with indolent fascination. "I won't pretend to be able to release you — only you can do that. But I can teach you how to remake yourself into any image you want. You can be anyone and anything. You can _control_ who you are."

It's unhealthy. It definitely is, living a make-pretend like that. But Sakumo can see just as clearly how much the notion captivates his son. She's got him now, a python winding herself around the legs of a half-grown cub, coils drawing tighter than a noose, breaking bones as she twists.

Just how much does Kakashi hate himself that he desires so strongly to become someone else?

"I'm an infiltration specialist," she says, pride in her voice. "This is my art."


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** Double-update, hehehe :P

* * *

"But why?" Rin mumbles, forlornly watching Kakashi politely reject another captain that has approached him. "She hurt him."

The captain looks surprised – the uniform reaction of everyone that hears of Kakashi's decision to work under Snake. "She still has that silver tongue, I see," the captain chuckles, giving the teen a small smile. "My best wishes, then."

As the ANBU leaves, Kakashi starts on his next set of knuckle push-ups and Sakumo does the same, keeping up with the punishing pace his son had set for himself. The exercise does nothing – not even giving him the familiar ache in his muscles – but it is a familiar routine lets him feel halfway alive. Rin sighs, flopping backwards onto the grass, closing her eyes against the dull white-grey sky. A light gust of wind brushes through the flowering grass, carrying upon it the faint scent of ozone as it forewarns of rain.

Sakumo glances at Rin through the strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes. He had told her what Kagami had said and she had been upset, alarmed and indignant… a myriad of emotions that culminated in a single question: "If anything happened to Kakashi, would you regret not knowing how and why?"

Unlike many other things, Sakumo knows his answer to that.

How many hours, days, months, _years_ had he spent pacing the morbid conjurations of his imagination, caught in nightmares of Yoriko dying again and again, alone and halfway across the world, in just as many ways as Sakumo has killed?

The Sandaime had come down to the Hatake compound himself, pressing a cold ring into Sakumo hand, regret written in the wrinkled corners of his eyes. _"Sakumo..."_ The amused lilt of Yoriko's voice had replayed so clearly in his mind. Before his tear-blurred eyes, he could see his hand taking her's – her strong, sword-calloused kunoichi hand – to slide that thin band of gold over her finger. _"I didn't know you were a man who admired these modern fancies."_

And always that same whispered thought haunted him: if only he had been there. Maybe they would have both lived; maybe they would have both died. He'd promised, hadn't he? To be there for her, to be there for Kakashi.

He'd failed both times but if Rin is right about second chances, he might just be failing a third time.

Bringing his knees under him, Sakumo sits up in a seiza, watching the steady up-down of Kakashi's form as he trained. When had his son lost the gentle rounding his cheek and grown so tall and broad-shouldered? The years have slipped by like sand through his numb fingers.

"We stick close to Kakashi and protect him, won't we?" he muses aloud, believing just about half of his sentence. Rin's eyes snap open and she beams at him.

"I knew you wouldn't give up, Sakumo-san!" Rin's face is bright with happiness and he never wants to see that spark in her disappear. "No matter what happens, between the three of us, we'll manage to think of something that even Kagami-sama can't disagree with!" She's been through just as much but somehow, she has come through more whole than broken. Perhaps, she is stronger than either of them.

Smiling back, he reaches up to smooth his flyaway hair back. His hand brushes the plate of his hitai-ate, the coolness of the metal against his skin making him pause. He tries to remember what if felt to be foolhardy and young, his hitai-ate polished and unscratched, confident that nothing could stand in the way of the sword in his hand and the chakra in his veins.

He grasps at nothing but distant dredges and not for the first time, he feels old.

And perhaps... Kakashi feels the same already.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:** Part 2 of double-update :)

* * *

Sprawled out on the synthetic leather couch, Snake watches idly as Kakashi gets his ANBU tattoo done by Hiromi, the med-nin and resident tattoo artist of the ANBU hospital. The teen is lying on his side on a padded bench, a fluffy pillow stuffed beneath his head. With the outline of the stylised Konoha symbol finished, all that is left is filling it in with the same crimson ink.

"Painful, Hound-kun?" Snake asks playfully. With his latex gloved hands, Hiromi holds the skin over Kakashi's deltoid firmly between two fingers and positions the needle carefully against it*.

Kakashi glares but a muscle under his eye jumps when Hiromi begins to pierce the already sensitive skin with practiced movements. "Hardly feel a thing." Perched at the foot of the padded bench, Sakumo shakes his head with a snort.

The med-nin lifts the bamboo-handled tool away from Kakashi's arm and wipes a damp cloth over the design, carrying away the excess ink. "Macho kid," he chuckles, sharing an amused look with Snake as Kakashi glowers. "A little young for you eh, Snake-taichou?"

The grin that had been on Rin's face morphs into grimace. "Ew."

The older ANBU wags her finger. "You should know better than that, Hiromi-kun." Her voice is laced with mock disapproval and the sandy-haired man chortles, mocha brown eyes twinkling.

"Get on with it please," Kakashi grumbles, hiding his face against the pillow.

Snake sits up on the creaking couch. "Let me distract you with something good, Hound-kun. I owe you an apology for what happened yesterday anyway." Kakashi turns his head to her a little and nods slowly, wariness bright in his uncovered grey eye.

The faint shimmering that comes with her transformation warps her outline for a moment before settling into a body slightly taller than her original. Her hair lengthens and darkens into a shiny waterfall of ebony that slips over her shoulders. Kakashi's brow creases with confusion as she takes off her mask, revealing a lovely face with delicate features and large, long-lashed black eyes.

The sight of that face almost stops Sakumo's heart and his lungs spasm in a loud gasp.

"Who is that?" Kakashi asks, bemused. Rin is silent, her concerned gaze flitting between Snake and Sakumo.

Snake face softens in sympathy. Rage flashes through Sakumo, hot and prickling on his skin, before it disappears, leaving a marrow-deep yearning. "Yoriko..." He stares like a man dying of thirst, drinking in every feature of the face he had given up on seeing ever again – the line of her nose, the tilt of her eyebrows, the curve of her lips...

And he forgets how to breathe.

"My captain and Boar's as well." Sakumo doesn't know if she is speaking the truth because Yoriko's work had never been something Sakumo was privy to. It stirs up old feelings of jealousy that Sakumo thought he had put to rest together with her ashes (his love, his missing other half, coming home in a pretty, glazed urn). There's a terrible squeezing around his chest and every breath is burns with so much else — fear, inadequacy, a love that wants to be understanding but still aches with _not enough, never enough_.

Sakumo had never really known Yoriko as fully as he craved, and in the end she was simply gone.

"Boar had this huge teenage crush on her. It was so freaking embarassing." Snake laughs and _god,_ it hurts like a knife to the gut to hear her voice, to see her smile. But Yoriko had never laughed as boldly as that. (Or had she with her ANBU team? Sakumo doesn't know. He won't ever know.) Sakumo had dreamed of making her laugh as openly as that and now, it seems defiled by this woman's imitation.

"So?" Impatient.

She smirks like she's sharing a secret. "Then one Hatake Sakumo barges in and makes a married woman of her, of course!"

Kakashi tenses from head to toe, his eyes wide as saucers. Hiromi clicks his tongue, saying: "Relax, please." Kakashi forcibly does so, his gaze still skipping rapidly over Snake's borrowed face.

"This... This is what okaa-san looked like?"

The rapid repetition of _"no, no, no"_ in Sakumo's brain is suddenly silenced by his son's unusually timorous words. Snake leans close, letting Kakashi's whirring Sharingan record her face in perfect detail. "Everyone says you look like your father, but I bet if you take off that mask, you'll look like your mother just as much."

Blinking away unbidden tears, Kakashi closes his eyes and Snake releases her transformation behind her mask once more. Sakumo has no Sharingan to help him remember and that hollowness in his chest is already craving another glimpse of his wife. (So take off that mask again, please...)

"Thank you," Kakashi croaks once he has himself under control again. "I-I could never manage to remember what okaa-san looked like and there were never any pictures around."

Another thing he has stolen from Kakashi, Sakumo realises. In his grief, he could not bear to be reminded of what he had lost and for that he had deprived Kakashi as well. Kakashi had never pried... too mature and conscientious of his father's broken heart to ask for what was rightfully his.

Snake adjusts her mask, her voice becoming gentle. "It's no problem, Hound. You deserve to know."

 _'And he does,'_ Sakumo muses heavily. Kakashi deserves to see his mother's face again more than anyone else, including Sakumo. Unlike yesterday, what had just happened was a gift, not a cruelty.

And for that, Sakumo is thankful.

* * *

 ***** Hiromi is using the traditional Japanese tattooing technique instead of the modern handheld machine version. It's more painful!

 **A/N:** Snake is really taking everyone on strolls down on memory lane, isn't she?

There's some writer's block here and there because I'm wrestling with the fine details of the plot and characterisation, so... if I miss an update you know what's happened! Hopefully the right ideas will pop up in time and that wouldn't happen ;)


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** the website doesn't bump stories to the most recently updated list when they're updated within 24 hours, which is what I did yesterday, so if you rely on that, be sure to check out the last two chapters! :)

As for this chapter, please excuse my pseudo-psychology mumbo jumbo. I did googling and wikipedia-ing, but I won't pretend the stuff here has any accuracy. Any psychologists/psychology students? :P

* * *

Sitting cross-legged on the floor in Kakashi's room, Snake sips her iced tea from a straw. She's wearing a body that she'd straight up told Kakashi wasn't her own. Not that it isn't obvious enough since she looks about six years old, with light-brown hair falling in loose waves all the way to her waist, an impractical length for a shinobi. Her mask is secured at an angle on her head, like a particularly fashionable hat. "So," she says, popping the straw out of her mouth irreverently. "Let's play a game."

Kakashi squints at her incredulously as Sakumo and Rin look on with interest. "You told me I had to read all these books for a test," he says, slapping his open hand on the pile of texts that he had stacked up beside him. While Snake had left for a month-long mission, Kakashi had dutifully used any spare moment he had between guard duty, patrols, training and solo missions to go through the readings he had been assigned.

The content ranged from anatomy charts to method acting, though most of it centered about psychology. There were hardly any overtly shinobi-related subjects. For the two ghosts peeking over his shoulder, it was an interesting change of pace.

His captain gives him a cheeky grin. "And our game shall be that test. A practical test."

"Is that why you're a kid right now?"

She smirks, an all-too-sly expression on a child's face. "Yep! Let's do some preparation first. Name the Big Five personality traits*."

"Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism." Kakashi does it rapidly and with ease.

"Good, good. Let's look at the sub-traits under extraversion... Hmm, assertiveness. Out of 1 to 5, what do you score?"

Kakashi eyebrow jumps. "4.7?"

"Nah, that's Danzou-sama levels."

"4, then."

Snake makes a sound of agreement. "And for warmth?"

The silver-haired teen hesitates for a moment. "2, for strangers."

"I feel like you're treating me like a stranger." Kakashi rolls his eyes at Snake's pouting. "But luckily under agreeableness, the sub-trait for compliance seems to be pretty high!" she quips.

"Is there a point to all this?"

"Uh oh, that's a 3.8 hostility!" Snake grins at Kakashi's hissed " _senpai!_ " but relents and answers the teen. "I'll be using the Big Five indicators to describe personality types to you, and the easiest way for you to get a feel of the scale is to analyse yourself using it. But more importantly, you need to know yourself from inside out before you can begin to consciously alter your behaviour." She claps her hands. "Alright, last one: neuroticism. Under the sub-traits of self-consciousness and vulnerability, how much would you score?"

Discomfort flits across Kakashi's expression before it is quickly hidden. "Relatively high, I suppose... a 4?" It's a surprisingly honest answer; one which tugs at Sakumo's heart. As a child, Kakashi had always been keenly aware of his difference in intellect. That awareness had manifested as impatience with his peers, but also the way he hid himself behind a mask and kept others at arm's length. Even now, things aren't much different.

Snake nods, giving a "hmm". "I suppose you tend to rely on your seniority as a jounin or team commander to keep your team in line during missions? I see. When you get back from missions, do you have moods swings? Like uncontrollable bursts of anger or sudden bouts of depression?" Three sets of eyes focus on Kakashi in varying degrees of concern.

"Uh, no?" Kakashi is on the verge of squirming.

"I won't set Yamanakas on you, dear."

"I'm just a bit twitchy. And I don't really sleep well," Kakashi admits, averting his eyes to the tiled floor.

"Of course," Snake says gently. "Don't shy away from looking directly at your psyche. This goes for your subconsciousness as well — your nightmares. With all the theory that you have already learnt, I'm sure you can understand what is going on. Be brutally honest with yourself, but be strictly objective and don't put yourself down. Only then you can take control and start changing the things you want." She leans back, taking a casual sip of her iced tea. "So what's troubling you, Hound-kun?"

Kakashi laces his fingers, tapping his thumbs as he falters visibly. "Survivor's guilt," he finally says, his voice no louder than a whisper. "Mainly."

The older ANBU sets down her drink with a rattling of ice cubes, leaning forward with a wan smile. "Alright, I won't pry further." Kakashi's shoulders slump with relief. "If you ever want to talk, I'll be here and there's always counselling."

At Kakashi's nod, Snake switches back to training mode. She takes out a slip of paper from her pocket and hands it to Kakashi. "Here are the personality scores of the character I want you to act as today. For everything under extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, the scores are the opposite of what I estimated to be yours. So where where you score 2 for warmth, this character will score 4."

Grimacing, Kakashi inclines his head. "Understood. So I'll just act the exact opposite of how I will usually act? This character sounds obnoxious."

Laughing, Snake stands up. "It's the easiest for now. Later on we'll try tweaking each aspect of the Big Five to help you develop a more nuanced grasp of your reactions. For the practical "test", we'll be going out to the marketplace. I'll steal something from a stall and get caught, and you'll try to smooth-talk me free. Oh, and one more thing." She flicks her hair over her shoulder, a mischievous smirk curling her lips. "You'll be acting as my father, so Henge into someone appropriate."

* * *

* It's something like the Myers-Briggs personality indicator, which I'm sure a lot of you have done.

 **A/N:** Snake isn't giving Kakashi therapy. She's just making sure he's sufficiently in touch with himself to do a good job acting.

Next, Snake will evaluate Kakashi's Henge!


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N:** I don't know if I need to say this but... uh, I guess watch out for some showing of skin? (Some mild language too.)

* * *

Kakashi insists on doing the Henge before taking off his mask and Snake has no leg to stand on to complain. She is a strict taskmaster, insisting that he adjust the facial features over and over again until she is satisfied with the degree of familial resemblance with her own borrowed face. The similarities must be convincing, yet not too obvious. The differences between the genders must also be taken into account together with a myriad of other details. ("The ears, Hound-kun. Don't forget the ears!")

Kakashi's Henge looks around thirty-something, square-jawed and ruggedly handsome, with short brown hair a shade darker than Snake's and sky blue eyes like Minato's. He looks jarringly unfamiliar, though something nags at the back of Sakumo's mind as he stares at his son's reflection in the mirror.

Satisfied with the face, Snake moves on to critique the rest of the body. ("Take off your shirt!")

It's only when Rin pipes up that Sakumo realises what he's been seeing. "The Henge looks a bit like you, you know?"

And so it does. There are touches of familiarity here and there, in the shape of his nose, the curve of the eye, the fine lines bracketing the mouth... Sakumo wonders if Kakashi is doing it consciously, or if Kakashi's brain is just throwing in pieces of whatever he can remember.

Sakumo isn't quite sure what this feeling in his chest is.

"The anatomy is textbook perfect of course, but..." The character is to be civilian, so Kakashi has to adjust his figure to something less shinobi-like and more "desk worker who exercises once a week". Snake pokes at Kakashi's stomach, demanding that the blushing teen lose the muscle definition there, and a giggle escapes an equally red-faced Rin.

It's surprisingly difficult to piece together a Henge from imagination, as opposed to simply copying someone's identifying features like taught in the Academy. The degree of detail Snake demands is also much more exacting. ("Adjust the curve of the spine to account for bad posture!")

"Are you going to teach me your version of the Henge?" Kakashi asks with feigned nonchalance.

She quirks her eyebrow, looking remarkably bratty in her child-form. "It's more difficult than your standard Henge and it incorporates seal work. I'll teach it to you when you've got the acting down." She bares her teeth in a smile. "Consider it an incentive." Kakashi grumbles a bit but stutters to a stop at the next thing that comes out of Snakes mouth.

"Keep your underwear but take off your pants. It's not your body, so you have nothing to be shy about."

Rin squeaks and buries her face in her hands. "M-maybe we should leave?" Uneasiness coils tightly in Sakumo's gut at the sight of the panic that flashes across Kakashi's face. He'll kill Snake, ANBU or not, if she attempts anything untoward... Thankfully no mysterious death occurs because Snake considers Kakashi's pale face for a long moment and relents. The tension thrumming through Kakashi eases and his two ghosts relax as well.

"You're really uncomfortable with this, huh. How do you even go to the onsen?"

Kakashi laughs awkwardly. "I don't go to public ones."

"Communal showers?"

"No such thing in the battlefield. Outside of that, I could always go home."

She huffs. "Alright. I won't force you. I suppose getting you out of your mask was a triumph enough."

"Sorry," Kakashi mumbles, hanging his head.

"As long as you can get the Henge right and don't let it affect you in the field, it's fine. Everyone has their quirks. Anyway the legs should be easy enough — just be hairy, hah. Let me look at your feet." She crouches down. "Your toenails are too perfect. They look like they've been manicured. Do _you_ manicure your nails?"

Kakashi snorts, amused. "No. My nails are just naturally beautiful." He does the hand seals, adjusts the Henge to make the toenails duller and a little chipped. He sticks out a foot and wriggles his toes. "Satisfied?"

"Mmhm."

"Has anyone's cover gotten blown because of these details?"

Snake looks up with a crooked smile. "I had a close call once. I was pretending to be the daughter of a noble I was to assassinate, and her father kept asking me why I hadn't painted my fingernails. Which was, apparently, what the daughter was obsessed with but our informants didn't pick up. Had to make up a bullshit lie about believing in some scientific study denouncing nail polish." She turns serious. "If the interrogators are good, they'll watch out for these details. It's the same for any genjutsu."

Kakashi nods gravely and Snake beams. She tosses him his shirt and springs to her feet. "Henge your uniform into something civilian and then we can go!"

"Aren't we going to go through the personality?" Kakashi asks with slight anxiety.

"No better practice than speaking to people. C'mon, chop chop!" Snake runs through the appropriate hand seals and does a twirl as her uniform transforms into a cutesy blue dress. Both ghosts can't help but gape at that and a bark of laughter escapes Kakashi.

" _Senpai_."

* * *

 **A/N:** Is Kakashi a sexy beast of a casanova or a super self-conscious cute dork? Strangely, his canon character seems to be able to go down either path...

 **A/N:** _(edit 16/12/17)_ Is this chapter creepy? I want to be a responsible writer. I mean, Snake and Kakashi's relationship is platonic currently, but sometimes I feel like maybe I've taken the joke too far... PM me your thoughts?


	36. Chapter 36

"You little devil!" the plump owner of the wagashi* store shrieks as she dashes after Snake's small form, wielding a broom. The ANBU captain clutches her paper box of meticulously crafted treats against her chest, stuffing one in her mouth as she weaves through the sparse crowd of shoppers.

Kakashi is running along the alleyway as well, keeping an eye on Snake but not intending to show himself before she decides to get caught. ' _Snake is enjoying this too much,_ ' Sakumo muses with a silent chuckle.

"Oh, an Uchiha!" Rin laughs, her eyes shining as they run alongside Kakashi.

Kakashi notices as well and groans, running his hand through his floppy brown hair. "Senpai..."

Sure enough, Snake takes the opportunity to collide hard into the Uchiha policeman, sending both of them tumbling into the ground. The Uchiha squeaks, his voice several octaves higher than the normal male vocal range, when Snake uses his stomach as a cushion for her fall. In her hand, the box of wagashi stays mysteriously intact — not one piece is out of place. Seeing the red-faced shop-owner gaining upon them, Snake hurriedly crams another two wagashi into her mouth before setting the box down beside the groaning Uchiha's head.

Snake hops onto her feet, brushing herself off daintily. Just as she prepares to dash off, the Uchiha grabs her around the waist with an iron grip, lifting her off her feet. "You brat!" the policeman grunts, glaring as he holds onto the squirming and kicking "six-year-old". If not for the fact that her face is stuffed like a chipmunk's, Sakumo suspects that Snake will go as far as to give the Uchiha a good chomp on the arm.

"Omawari-san**!" the shop-owner greets effusively, doubling over in a partly to bow, partly to catch her breath. She props herself up with her hands on her knees to glare at Snake, who has stopped struggling in favour of wide-eyed innocence. "Thank you for catching that _thief!_ " The disguised ANBU captain continues chewing on her wagashi, her eyes curved into happy arches.

The Uchiha shakes her a little. "Did you steal that box of sweets?" he growls, black hair falling over his face as he scowls down at Snake. She merely blinks at him, still chewing. "I see you're an unrepentant criminal. Where are your parents?"

"Ah, Ariko-chan! There you are!" Kakashi exclaims as he pushes through the crowd. Grinning sheepishly at the scowling store-owner and the policeman, he holds out his arms. The Uchiha reluctantly transfer a limp "Ariko-chan" into Kakashi's arms.

"Tou-chan," Snake mumbles as Kakashi sets her on her feet, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Ahahaha! I'm so sorry!" Kakashi's booming laugh makes everyone flinch as he casually gives Snake a noogie.

"Ow, ow, ow! Tou-chan!" Snake grabs Kakashi's hand and tries to bite him but Kakashi manages to evade the snap of her teeth, still smiling.

Wheezing with laughter, Rin wipes at her tearing eyes. "Sakumo-san, you've been promoted to an ojii-san."

Sakumo shakes his head solemnly, his arms crossed and the corner of his mouth twitching. "I can't say I expected this."

"Your kid stole from my shop!" the woman fumes, perching her hands on her hips as she points to the half-open box on the ground. "What are you teaching your child?"

"Hn," the Uchiha grunts.

Kakashi's face softens in earnest sympathy as he reaches out to take her hand. "Madam, I can't apologise enough." He let's go to push Snake's head down in a bow, doing the same himself. "Please forgive us!"

The shop-owner looks a bit flustered.

Kakashi pops back upright energetically and whips around to the Uchiha. "And Uchiha-san, thank you for catching my little miscreant." He flashes a blinding grin. "As expected of a most excellent ninja like yourself!" The Uchiha's cheeks turn a flattered pink.

"Gai," Sakumo chortles. "He's channeling Gai." Rin is breathless with giggles.

Reaching for his wallet, Kakashi presses several bills into the shop-owner's hand, patting her hand and leaning forward slightly as he speaks. "I can't hope to make up for the inconvenience that we've caused you, of course, but please take this as the least your beautifully crafted sweets deserve."

The shop-keeper is looking a little rosy in the cheeks. "Oh it's no problem..."

"He's really pouring it on thick, isn't he?" Rin chuckles.

"Ariko, go get the box; how can you put them on the floor?"

Snake pouts, a glint in her eye. "NO. They're not that good anyway. You _liar_ , tou-chan."

Everyone seems to freeze. All the buttering-up that Kakashi had managed with the shop-owner seems to be melting away before his eyes. The promise of retribution creeps into Kakashi's eyes. "Ariko-chan..." Still, the young ANBU seems to realise he has to keep in character and he bends down to take her by the hands. "I know you miss kaa-chan but you can't act like this."

Luckily, Snake is willing to play along. Huffing and fixing her gaze on her feet, she acts the part of the recalcitrant but guilty child.

Sighing dramatically, Kakashi stands to speak to his audience again. "I'm sorry. My wife just passed and..." He draws his hand over his face and trails off. He smiles again, though this time it's tired and visibly a little forced. "My wife loves - _loved_ \- the wagashi you make. Ariko is just, well..."

In the end, the shop-owner is cooing over Kakashi and even the Uchiha looks rather hangdog.

Sakumo sighs wistfully. It's hitting a little too close to home to be comfortable, but Kakashi's acting skills seem to be up to par. Hearing a little sniffle, he glances over at Rin and promptly does a double-take.

"Rin? Rin, dear, are you crying?!"

"I-It's so t-tragic!"

* * *

*(和菓子) traditional japanese sweets

**casual form of address for policemen

 **Omake:**

"Ow, _senpai_!" Kakashi shouts. "Stop or I'll throw you all the way to the Hokage mountain!"

Seated on Kakashi's shoulders, Snake tugs hard again at Kakashi's hair. They're still in their respective Henges, walking back to the ANBU compound. "This is revenge for the noogie earlier!" she cackles.

"I think we're even when I actually _paid_ for the wagashi you ate _all by yourself_!"

"Hah! What sort of father are you?"

"YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY MY KID!"

"... ooh scandalous."

 **A/N:** I think you guys know where Kakashi's bad habits come from now... hahaha ;)


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** warnings for temporary genderbending and related shenanigans, all in the name of training :P

* * *

In the next six months, Kakashi masters fifteen personas and changes between them like he changes clothes. With every mission he goes with Snake or another ANBU of the infiltration team, he adds another character to his repertoire.

The ANBU captain brings Kakashi down to T&I to try out his more aggressive personas and to work on some interrogation tactics both with and without the Sharingan. After all, knowing how to see through (tear down) others' lies and pretenses is just as important as knowing how to construct your own.

Rin excuses herself during these sessions and Sakumo doesn't stay after the first time Kakashi takes a kunai to a man's eye with a ecstatic smile on his face. ("Make them believe you'd relish any opportunity to hurt them.") Instead, they go puppy watching at the Inuzuka compound with Kagami and Kara, and try not to think too much.

Halfway through, Snake and Kakashi start working on female characters. ("A woman's smile can be more effective than any threat.") Kakashi is uncomfortable with it at first, to say the least, but he wouldn't be Kakashi without his inexorable work ethic. Every time he locks the door, it's Sakumo and Rin's cue to vacate the room. They have a try at Minato stalking instead, laugh at the faces he pulls while wrangling paperwork, and again try not to think too much.

Nothing messes with Sakumo's mind more than seeing Kakashi as a buxom brunette, successfully flirting his way around the bar as men clamour to buy him - her? - a drink and spill their secrets. He dolefully regrets any and every joke he'd ever made about overprotective dads, daughters and boyfriends. Henge-ed son or not, he wants to beat them all off with a stick. He would have found some way to do it too, if the role of protective family member hadn't already been taken by Snake. Acting as Kakashi's older brother with the aid of her Henge, she always extricates him before things get out of hand — not that a cheerfully executed shoulder throw doesn't do the trick.

Meanwhile, Rin would be behind the bar counter, despairing over her own eternally fourteen-year-old body. Sakumo has never floundered more than when faced with this quiet, glassy-eyed Rin. He learns to avoid these sessions entirely and to rely on a much-too-amused Hyaku to dispense body positivity talks.

But of all the personas he has developed, Kakashi's favourite is Sociable Kakashi. The ritual he uses to slip into character is simple: first, the jounin uniform, article by article; second, the hitai-ate slanted over the Sharingan; third, a slouch with his hands in his pockets; fourth, a crinkle-eyed smile in the mirror; and lastly, an intractable lateness.

Sociable Kakashi can go out to eat dango with Gai, Kurenai and Asuma. Sociable Kakashi can laugh at their jokes. Sociable Kakashi can go to the public onsen with only a handkerchief over his face.

He's connected, friendly, likeable. He is Kakashi and he isn't. (Not really.)

Sakumo wonders who he does it for — his friends or himself? The gentle happiness that sometimes softens his gaze gives Sakumo hope. Maybe this is the ideal version of himself that Kakashi had always wanted but couldn't achieve innately. Maybe that's why he takes this persona out for a stroll so often.

But there are other moments too, when Kakashi is sitting amongst friends yet still caught in some lonely, distant orbit. Sometimes, he looks at them as if they're a comedy he doesn't find funny, his uncovered eye impossibly dark and jaded. Other times, he just looks young and frightened, afraid of getting close for fear of having them torn away again. The second anyone glances over though, he'll be smiling again at something or other.

As Sakumo had feared the moment Snake made her offer to take Kakashi as her protégé, Sakumo finds himself second-guessing the genuineness of Kakashi's responses. The spectre of doubt is... extremely discomfiting. The best lies are those which are half-true and Kakashi's personas all contain genuine pieces of himself woven into a greater tapestry of falsehoods. Kakashi's thoughts are privy to no-one but himself and trying to pick out the real from the fake is becoming increasingly difficult.

The cenotaph becomes a place of truth. There are no pretenses needed when Kakashi stands before the dead, the sweet scent of incense in the air. But this self-flagellating, burdened Kakashi is a shard of honesty that Sakumo knows all too well.

Eventually, Snake passes down her special Henge to Kakashi. It is a complex mass of seals that she had inherited from her own sensei, who had been an Uzumaki. Since the seals work on the chakra pathways to support the Henge's stability, they are supervised by several med-nin, a Hyuuga, and a very enthusiastic, newly pregnant Kushina. She wastes no time smacking Kakashi for asking if the embryo is made of ramen.

Snake coerces everyone into signing confidentiality contracts, except Kakashi himself, of course, and Kushina out of respect for her Uzumaki roots. The process itself requires a litre of ink made from Kakashi's blood, a ten metre diameter circle of white vinyl flooring, too-cold air-conditioning and one Kakashi who can't stop sneaking peeks at the symbols surrounding him. "Stay still!" Kushina roars, and Kakashi flops back onto the ground immediately, blinking innocently.

A surge of chakra and a gritting of teeth later, the seals take their final form: five overlapping Uzumaki spirals surrounded by a ring of symbols, tucked under the wing of Kakashi's left shoulder blade.

With his cheek pressed against the floor, Kakashi smiles. (It's probably real.)


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** This is where canon divergences will start and the canon timeline will be modified. Major events will stay the same, though it depends on how you define major :)

* * *

"With all due respect, Sandaime-sama, this is my decision," Minato says firmly as his brush continues over another form. Sitting on the window ledge beside him in silent watchfulness is a whole gallery of ghosts: Sakumo, Rin, Kagami and Kara.

To the other side of the desk, the previous Hokage leans back against his chair. His feet are neatly crossed at the ankles and his eyes closed as he takes another puff of his pipe. "Of course, Minato." Even without his voluminous Hokage robes to augment his small stature, he cuts an imposing figure of restrained power.

"I have already contacted the Akatsuki through Jiraiya-sensei."

Hiruzen's eyes crack open at that. "You have been prepared."

Minato's brush stills, though his gaze remains fixed on the words before him. "I deemed it necessary."

"May I ask after your choice of personnel?" The scent of tobacco is cloying.

"She will be here soon."

"Snake, I suppose."

Minato makes a vague noise in his throat and Hiruzen's expression tightens almost imperceptibly. The moment of tension is quickly broken when an ANBU enters, wearing a familiar mask. She kneels on one knee, her head respectfully bowed. "Hokage-sama, Sandaime-sama."

Turning to the low shelf behind him, Minato retrieves a scroll and holds it out. "Snake-taichou. S-rank mission to Ame, have a read."

Rising, she takes the scroll and breaks the wax seal, unrolling it and skimming it quickly. The ghosts float over to read over her shoulder and immediately a name jumps out at Sakumo.

Hanzou. _Sanshouuo no Hanzou*_ , the erstwhile dictator of Ame who had named the Sannin. The mission's objective is to gather information on Hanzou's activities and investigate possible unauthorised interference in Ame affairs by Konoha-nin. The mission deserves it's S-class ranking — not only does Hanzou's fighting ability outstrip the average jounin several times over, he has grown increasingly paranoid over the years. Even the best ANBU might end up concluding their careers (and their lives) with a mission of this risk. Sakumo swallows heavily.

"Accepted, Hokage-sama," Snake declares calmly, lowering the scroll. "This is a two person mission — does Hokage-sama have any preferences regarding this...?"

Minato steeples his fingers before him, his lively face unusually solemn. "You know your team best. Who would you recommend?"

The ANBU straightens. "Hound, Hokage-sama." Minato eyes widen slightly and dread squeezes at Sakumo's throat. "Given that Ame is currently on the verge of civil war, the risk of direct confrontation with enemy-nin is high. Maximizing the strength of the team will increase the chances of mission success. I am confident in Hounds abilities both in infiltration and otherwise. The experience will do him good."

Minato's lips are thin with consternation when he turns to the stone wolf paperweight on his desk. "Hound."

Immediately, the palm-sized paperweight transforms into Kakashi, his sandalled feet planted firmly on top of the stack of papers. "My apologies, Hokage-sama," he says as he hops off the desk light and comes to stand at attention before Minato.

Snake hands Kakashi the mission scroll and he begins to reads it quickly.

The Sandaime sits up in his sofa chair. "Minato, did you not wish to put Hound on Kushina-san's protection detail?"

There's concern in Minato's eyes as he looks at Kakashi, whose head is still bent over the scroll. "Yes, I did," he says quietly. It is a nice, safe mission within the village and one Sakumo will choose for Kakashi if he can. He _can't_ though, not since Kakashi became a genin and a soldier, but a parent can dream.

"Snake-taichou, who else would you recommend?" Kakashi looks up, his shadowed gaze unreadable behind his mask.

"Rabbit or Lynx. However, the psychological profile of the cover does not fit their original personalities well and will increase the risk of discovery."

Minato visibly vacillates between his choices but he turns to Kakashi eventually and Sakumo's heart sinks. Minato is the Hokage after all — he cannot make decisions based on personal interest, lest he be denounced of favouritism. "It's estimated to be a five month long mission barring any exigencies." It'll be the longest mission Kakashi has ever been on, excluding the war. Minato's smile seems strained. "Since Kushina is about four months along now... You'll be back before she gives birth. What do you say, Hound?"

Kakashi bows his head. "Accepted, Hokage-sama."

The worry-lines bracketing the young Hokage's mouth deepen. "The day after tomorrow at six, report to me once more at the gate before the two of you depart."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

Kagami turns to Sakumo and Rin once Kakashi returns to being a wolf paperweight and both Snake and Hiruzen excuse themselves. "You'll be glad to know that I fully support the two of you following Kakashi on this particular mission. The near civil war between the living extends to the afterlife as well, so I'll be sending Hyaku along with the two of you to be Kakashi and Snake's protection detail."

Sakumo and Rin nod gravely and Kagami gives them a tiny smile. "Don't engage unless you're threatened—"

"—which you probably will be," Kara quips.

"—but Hyaku will know what to do," Kagami sighs.

"And do help us send our regards to the ex-leader of the Akatsuki," adds Kara. "If you need any help, Yahiko's the guy."

"...I'll be sure to remember that," Sakumo assures.

Rin catches his eye and nods confidently. "Don't worry, the three of us will make a great team!"

* * *

*Hanzou of the Salamander

 **A/N:** At this point in time, Konoha is still in contact with the remaining Ame orphans through Jiraiya (which is a canon-divergence, I think). Only later will they break off contact and pretend to have died. It's around 2.5 to 3 years after the 3rd Shinobi World War during which Yahiko died, so Akatsuki is still the original Ame orphan version. Nagato doesn't have his Pain puppets yet and Akatsuki is in a very weak position vis-a-vis Hanzou.


	39. Chapter 39

They are to be a pair of siblings born in Ame, Snake the elder sister of twelve and Kakashi the younger brother of eleven. Their names are Sachi and Kazuo, but they have not spent their young lives in bliss or peace*. Ever since their parents were caught in the crossfire of battle and killed by the Akatsuki a year ago, they've lived on the streets. Homeless and starved, they've barely fed themselves by scavenging, stealing, or pick-pocketing. They are children with a grudge against the Akatsuki, yet vulnerable and frightened enough of shinobi to pose no threat to Hanzou.

If all things go well, they'll go undercover as servants at Hanzou's headquarters.

Since Snake and Kakashi are to maintain cover as these young civilian children for months on end, they have to have their chakra suppressed. In the ANBU's medical wing, a Hyuuga closes ninety percent of their tenketsu and draws seals over the already bruising skin to maintain the blockage.

"You still have ten percent of your chakra," the med-nin assures. "If you need to access your full chakra reserves, flex your remaining chakra hard and the seals will break. Try your Henges, please."

Their forms shimmer, shrink and de-age, leaving two scruffy children seated on the examination table. Kakashi becomes a plain-looking boy who no-one would look twice at; his scar is gone and his memorable silver hair replaced with slightly curly brown locks. Snake has similar, not-quite-pretty features, her limbs lankier than Kakashi's and her hair longer, just touching her shoulders.

They're both washboard thin, with ribs prominent enough under dull skin to look painful. They're homeless orphans after all. The only vaguely pretty thing about them are probably their light hazel eyes, but their depths are too dark and jaded to bring joy. At their malnourished fragility, the med-nin can't help but flinch.

"Poor things," Rin murmurs. "Are the children in Ame starving so badly?"

Knowing only too well the devastation the the Second Shinobi World War had wrecked in Ame, Sakumo nods with sincere regret. "War has made Ame a very poor country."

The Hyuuga med-nin recovers her brisk and professional manner quickly. "Please check if any of the seals are showing; they shouldn't be." The two ANBU go beyond, leaving no sign that they are shinobi, not even any callouses from the handling of kunai, shuriken, and sword.

"Hound-sama, please test if you are still able to use the Sharingan."

Kakashi shakes his head yes. "It's still activated. I can't deactivate it, but I can alter the colour of the cells in the irises."

The med-nin blinks her pale lavender eyes in surprise. "Fascinating." She gives both Snake and Kakashi a bow. "That will be all. I wish you both a successful mission, Snake-sama, Hound-sama."

"Our thanks, Hyuuga-san."

* * *

The morning dawns over Konoha's gates, spilling a palette of yellows, oranges and red over the wall, bringing with it Minato and Kushina. Kakashi and Snake have transformed back into themselves and dressed in worn civilian clothing — no point in ripping out Minato's heartstrings and making Kushina worry overly much.

The red-head gathers Kakashi into a bone-cracking hug - slightly awkward because of her swollen belly - while Kakashi wheezes dramatically and Snake laughs softly in the distance. When the teary-eyed jinchuuriki finally relents her grip on the teen, Minato swoops in and squeezes the breath out of Kakashi again.

"Stay safe and write home often!" Minato instructs, fussing over Kakashi in a way he hadn't been able to in his office.

"They're called status reports, Minato-sensei," Kakashi sighs, though he cannot hide the unmistakeable fondness in his eye. "You should be worried about Kushina-san — make sure she feeds the baby more than ramen."

"Hey!" Kushina squawks, reaching forward to ruffle his hair hard while Minato chuckles. "You brat!" She's grinning widely, glowing the way only mothers can.

Kakashi smiles behind his mask, his eyes closing into happy arches as he turns and starts towards the gate. "Decide on a name before I'm back, okay? Or I'll get to choose!"

"No way I'll let you choose, scarecrow," Kushina laughs and Kakashi raises his hand in farewell, smiling over his shoulder as he joins Snake by the gate. Snake salutes Minato jauntily and the two ANBU set off at a jog.

"Let's get moving," Hyaku says cheerfully, tightening the knot of rope that held a heavy scroll against the small of her back. Even though they can't see her, Rin waves at Minato and Kushina before hurrying after the older Uzumaki.

"Bye Minato-sensei, Kushina-san! Bye, baby-chan!"

As Sakumo steps on the path leading out of the village, he can't help casting a wistful look back at the familiar shape of the Konoha landscape. The golden sunlight shines down upon the waking village, warmly blanketing the two small figures framed by the open gates.

 _'We'll be back soon,'_ Sakumo promises. _'Stay safe.'_

* * *

*Sachi (幸): short for Sachiko (幸子) meaning "child of bliss" ; Kazuo (和男): 和 for "harmony"/"peace" and 男 for "man"

 **A/N:** I'm feeling a bit burnt out, so I'll be taking a day off to refresh myself :) I'll be back soon~


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** So during my break yesterday I've finally gotten a haircut, brushed my teeth, showered and changed... haha I'm joking! Other than the haircut I do the other stuff everyday, promise :P Can't say the same for Snake and Kakashi though, now that they're going to Ame :P

* * *

With only ten percent of their chakra at their disposal, Snake and Kakashi travel barely faster than a civilian pace. It'll take them four solid days to reach Ame's border but that time is not wasted. The pair of ANBU use the time to work out the details of their cover, practice the Ame accent, and memorise maps and meeting points. They discuss Ame history and politics, quiz each other on the major members of Hanzou's dictatorship and the Akatsuki resistance, and plan engagement strategies.

Far away from Konoha, secluded in the wilderness with nothing but the chirp of crickets and the shrill cry of cicadas, the more dangerous implications of the mission can be murmured in the dark.

"I trust that you've already noticed that Sandaime-sama is not in favour of this mission," Snake says as they sit around a smouldering bonfire. Hyaku and Rin are lying on the leafy forest floor, gazing at the small patch of starry sky above them, while Sakumo sits beside Kakashi and listens.

Kakashi inclines his head slightly, his uncovered eye dark. "The 'unauthorised interference' is linked to Danzou-sama, isn't it?"

"It's _always_ Danzou," she sighs. "Ever heard of ROOT? It's his own little ANBU of brainwashed shinobi." Kakashi's eyes widen slightly and Snake chuckles mirthlessly, the features of her borrowed face highlighted eerily by the fire's dancing lights and shadows. "Konoha isn't so nice, is it?" Kakashi is quiet as she pokes at the flickering flames idly, sending a tiny sparks jumping into the air.

"Danzou-sama is doing something behind Minato-sensei's back." Kakashi says slowly, testing the waters. "But he's Sandaime-sama's teammate and Sandaime-sama doesn't want Minato-sensei to interfere."

"Sandaime-sama has always been... _passive_ when it comes to Danzou." Her tone is bitter.

"He trusts Danzou-sama too much?"

"Trust..." She rolls the word on her tongue, weighing it. "Perhaps. Sandaime-sama trusts Danzou to work for Konoha's good even if their methods differ. He trusts Danzou to do the dirty work. But I'd also say it's plausible deniability. Whatever Danzou does, if Konoha benefits, wonderful. If it doesn't, Sandaime-sama can brand Danzou as a rogue and let him take the fall for Konoha." A bark of laughter escapes her. "Win-win."

Sakumo himself had gathered as much after becoming one of the "legends" and socialising within their circles for years. Each of them are just as fallible as any other human being. A position of power and the experience to back it doesn't guarantee beautiful solutions. He's not one to judge Hiruzen, Danzou, or Minato - not when he might not have done any better if put in the same position - but it has been a long time since he was blind to these ugly realities. This mission is just another power play between the old guard and the new.

Turning back the bonfire, Kakashi stares thoughtfully. "If we obtain evidence of Danzou-sama's wrongdoing, treason even... Minato-sensei will be able to dispose of him and Sandaime-sama won't be able to turn a blind eye."

"It's more difficult that that," Snake says with a tiny smirk, making Kakashi roll his eye, "but yes."

"Then we'd better succeed."

* * *

Half a day's journey away from Ame, the two ANBU Henge themselves into the children they're meant to be and put on the set of tattered yukatas that they'd brought. They're barely more than rags, fraying at the hems and worn thin from use. Kakashi and Snake will be freezing once Ame's constant rain soaks them through.

The small backpacks of supplies that they'd brought are hidden deep inside a cave, along with all the weapons they'd been carrying on their person. The only things which they bring are two soldier pills each. It's hardly enough for the three day journey to the Akatsuki hideout but they'd been skipping meals since they left Konoha to acclimatise their bodies to the imminent lack of food. If they are caught, the soldier pills can be explained away by theft. Anything more would be suspicious.

As the dense forests and soft mosses of Hi no Kuni give way to grey, drizzling skies and hard-packed earth, they are soon stopped by the Konoha border patrol. They are let go after a short conversation of ANBU field signs — what goes out of Konoha hardly matters as much as what goes in.

The difficult part is slipping through Ame's borders. Further suppressing their chakra signatures, they Henge into a pair of ravens and take to the skies. It's a difficult Henge to maintain with chakra reserves as meager as theirs but there is no doubt as to it's efficacy. They fly for miles, over camouflaged Ame outposts and over military encampments further inland, until the exhaustion of repeating such unnatural movements as _flying_ begins to take its toll.

Sakumo is glad that as ghosts, they are able to float and fly quite instinctually. If they had been in Konoha, their birds-eye view would have no doubt been magnificent. As it is, they only see Ame in all her grim, shattered glory. Along the distant skyline, the shinobi city is a sprawling mass of blackened sludge, its buildings caught within it like caltrops in tar. Beyond the city borders, a brown wasteland lies disfigured with craters and fissures. There are small settlements here and there, forming little mosaics of rusting, corrugated metal roofs. Some are abutted by patches of dull greens — what little agriculture that can be coaxed from the choking clay soil and the perennial, rot-encouraging rain.

About five miles safely inside Ame, Snake and Kakashi find an abandoned piece of land and crash land, splashing into mud-water potholes with flailing limbs and pained winces. Covered in filth that even the battering rain and wind doesn't wash away, Snake grasps Kakashi's hand tightly and pulls him onto his feet. They trudge on hand in hand, shivering with cold.

No-one speaks, not even the ghosts, as they travel. For every evidence of life's tenacity, there is another monument to the death that had swept this land. Women draw water from wells created by crashing Suitons; men build fences from pieces of mountains shattered by Tsunade's fists. Toddlers play under the shelter of a towering stone arm created by a Doton, ignorant of the bones that are still clutched inside its fist.

Sakumo knows of the pain of war, of loved ones never returning home and of comrades breathing their last in his arms. But war had never been on Konoha land, had never reached so far as to crush the sanctuary of his soul. Seeing the devastation lying before his eyes, still unhealed and festering, Sakumo realises that this is the true price of the shinobi nations' arrogance.

If there is suffering amongst the people of Ame, only the heavens hear and weep with them.

* * *

 **A/N:** I found out today that there's actually a filler episode where adult Kakashi goes to Ame to check if Hanzou is still alive (he's not) and deliver an invitation for the Chuunin exams (the one Naruto participates in). Wow the visuals of Ame city were so striking. So gloomy and spooky. I really want to capture that feel.


	41. Chapter 41

The Akatsuki hideout is secreted away in one of the cavernous mountains that forms a range separating Ame and Kusa. Courtesy of Jiraiya's information, they manage to identify the right mountain to climb quickly enough. They walk cautiously with one hand on the sheer cliff rising on their right and their eyes on the slippery cliff-side path below their feet. If not for Kakashi's Sharingan, they would have fallen victim to the layers of genjutsu carefully placed over the narrow path and tumbled down the sheer drop on their left.

Halfway up the mountain, a torrent of fluttering paper arrives on the wind, dancing in a flurry of sharp-edged pages until they form a blue-haired, amber-eyed woman. She has a piercing through her bottom lip, a paper rose in her hair that stays mysteriously dry, and the most impassive face Sakumo has ever seen. She stares down unblinkingly at Snake and Kakashi even as sheets of rain tear at her hair and black cloak. "Who are you?"

The frail orphan act slips off their shoulders like a dewdrop might tumble off a leaf. Snake straightens and suddenly seems no less capable of taking on the woman in a fight despite her waifish stature. "Snake, ANBU of Konoha."

Kakashi meets the woman's gaze with an equally bored one of his own. "Hound, ANBU of Konoha. You must be Konan of the Akatsuki."

She inclines her head in silent acknowledgement. "It is courtesy to dispel your Henges," she admonishes even as two more cloak-wearing men appear behind Kakashi and Snake, boxing them in the narrow path. The large paper birds that the men had been riding on disperse into a waterfall of tiny white airplanes which dive off the cliff's edge and glide away.

 _'What a beautiful jutsu,'_ Sakumo muses in appreciation. He has never seen something like this before.

"You wouldn't recognise us even if we showed our true forms," Snake retorts calmly. "The codephrase is Jiyuu Honpou*."

A ghosts of a smile quirks Konan's lips at that. "Kiwifruit and gratin**," she replies, which Sakumo supposes is the matching code although the significance eludes him. Rin shoots him a bewildered look and he shrugs, ignoring Hyaku's snickers. "Very well," Konan acquiescences, turning on her heel. "Follow me."

Kakashi and Snake do so, eager to get out of the rain, but a muffled shout startles the ghosts into the defensive.

"Wait!"

Hyaku, Sakumo and Rin all glance around, backs to each other in a defensive position. There is nothing to be seen, but none of the living have heard the voice — a ghost then.

"Bwah!" An orange-haired young man gasps as he stumbles out of the cliff face and onto the path. "I hate walking through solid objects!" Catching his balance, he turns to Sakumo and the rest, his face creased in a broad smile. "I see you've already met our lovely Konan! I'm Yahiko, also of the Akatsuki. You guys must be the back-up Kagami sent."

Hyaku relaxes and steps forward, a friendly grin on her face. "Kagami and Kara send their greetings."

His smile widening, Yahiko takes her hand and shakes it firmly. "Thank you, Hyaku. It's good to see you again." When they exchange introductions, Yahiko gets an odd look on his face when he reaches Sakumo. "Ah, you're the famous White Fang."

Sakumo inclines his head, uncomfortably aware of the grudge that this young man must hold against someone as such as he, who had fought in the Second Shinobi World War. Even though it was only a few short weeks before he had been drafted to another front, he had partaken in the destruction wrought on Ame land. It was his duty to his village, yes, but he felt no pride in carrying out his duty after seeing how the people of Ame suffered for it. "I'm afraid I am. I don't expect any forgiveness, but... I must offer my apologies."

The tension in Yahiko's frame eases and his expression softens. "For you to say something like this, it's only because you've known the pain of war. Jiraiya-sensei had fought in the war too but he understood what we were going through. He was as a father to us." His face darkens momentarily and Sakumo glimpses the frighteningly determined youth that had raised and led an organisation to rival Hanzou's. "Scum like Danzou and Hanzou are different."

"We're here to investigate them both," Rin soothes, reaching forward to pat Yahiko's arm gently. "The ANBU we've sent are the best of the best."

Yahiko expression lightens once more and his cheerful demeanour returns. "That is good news. Come, let me show you a shortcut to where your ANBU will be staying."

* * *

* (自由奔放) "Free and uninhibited", Jiraiya's favourite phrase

** Jiraiya's least favourite foods

 **A/N:** I find Akatsuki's "eye for an eye" philosophy really quite frightening. Forgiveness is probably the hardest thing to do, but as Naruto convinced Nagato in the end, the cycle of hatred has to stop and the only way is through non-retaliation and reconciliation. No bashing meant — I like Konan quite a lot myself :)

This isn't a fix-it, so Akatsuki is still spiralling downwards into darkness and Danzou is still screwing everyone over.


	42. Chapter 42

The cave that they're led to is too small and too quiet to possibly house an organisation like the Akatsuki, no matter how much their numbers have been diminished by Hanzou's betrayal during the Third Shinobi World War. But it is also an expected precaution — no secret organisation would last this long if they let strangers into the heart of their headquarters or let them meet their leader, even if those strangers are allies.

The Akatsuki have already learnt painful lessons that allies one day can be enemies the next.

In the absence of electricity, the cave is dark and quiet, illuminated only by the occasional pine pitch torch lining the walls. The stifling humidity does not diminish but for once Snake and Kakashi are dry and bundled up in warm Akatsuki cloaks, enjoying a proper meal of wild vegetables and boiled quail eggs.

"We have a dead drop in the city," Konan says, absently rolling a quail egg around the dish in her hand. "If you place your reports there, one of our members will be able to pick it up within a week or so and pass it to Konoha. Of course, if you have any needs, write them in as well and we will try to give you as much aid as possible."

"Thank you for your invaluable support," Snake replies with a polite smile. "Is there a specific encryption that you use...?"

As the living discuss the details of their collaboration inside the cave, the Konoha ghosts make their way outside to sit with the guards. The rain had eased slightly, leaving the mountains thickly shrouded with grey, impenetrable mist. Far away from civilisation, the only sound that reaches their ears is whistle of wind cutting against stone and the light patter of rain.

Yahiko joins them a moment later, taking a seat besides Sakumo with a smile. "All ready for tomorrow?"

The silver-haired jounin tilts his head questioningly. "For entering the city? I believe so."

"There's ninety-nine percent chance that will be a fight," Hyaku says, looking up from where she had unfurled her scroll. The complex seals painted there are hardly legible in the low light of dusk. "It will be fun." She grins sharply at Rin's alarmed look. "Don't worry girlie, I'll protect you."

"I'll kick their butts myself, thank you very much," Rin huffs, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Where's your tanto? You know, the White Chakra one?" Honest curiousity lights Yahiko's dark brown eyes.

"It's with my son. It's broken though," Sakumo replies with an air of melancholy. The tanto had been a Hatake heirloom since the clan's days in Kiri. It's hardly Kakashi's fault that it had shattered during the Kannabi mission; Sakumo's dejection stems from the way he sees the blade as symbolic of the clan's brokenness, not the least because Sakumo had used it himself to commit seppuku. With Sakumo's blood and so many other bad memories staining the blade, perhaps it is for the better than it had broken and Kakashi no longer uses it anymore.

"Maa— it doesn't have to be the real thing, you know. It just needs to be something dear enough for you to have a connection to. Look at this." Before Sakumo's wide eyes, Yahiko holds out his hand and a longsword appears in his palm with a musical 'pop'. Leaping to his feet, Yahiko swings it at Hyaku with a laugh and she blocks it with the rod of her scroll. Metal sings against metal and Hyaku scowls.

"Watch it brat, or I'll seal you into a kettle."

"Genies stay in lamps," Yahiko cackles.

"Well you'll just be a sad ghost in a kettle then."

Yahiko shrugs and flashes a grin at Sakumo. "Anyway... the real thing is with Konan together with my body—"

"—your body?!" Rin exclaims, morbidly fascinated.

"—preserved, yes." Veering off his original line of thought again, Yahiko begins to excitedly ramble on about the bed of white paper roses Konan had folded for him.

Sakumo looks down at his hands and clenches his right into a fist. He can still feel the callouses on his fingers and palms from using kenjutsu his whole life. Despite all his ambivalent feelings towards the tanto, having his companion back would offer a measure of comfort. And since Sakumo has no intention of utilising ninjutsu unless pressed to do so - in case it affects Kakashi's health and mission - the short sword will prove useful.

What Yahiko had done doesn't seem very difficult. If he can just close his eyes and focus...

The sudden weight on his palm has Sakumo snapping his eyes open even as his fingers close tightly around the familiar shape of the hilt. The glistening silver blade is just as whole and perfect as he remembered, the finely-honed edge and it's tapered tip lovely in it's deadliness.

Yahiko breaks off mid-sentence and cheers. "You got it, Sakumo-san!" Pushing away memories of the last time he had held the blade like this, Sakumo looks up and smiles back.

Rin gasps and turns to Hyaku angrily. "Why didn't you show me this earlier?" She jabs a finger at her scroll accusingly. "Obviously you know how." She ducks out of Hyaku's attempt to ruffle her hair and purses her lips in concentration, squeezing her eyes shut. "Extra medical supplies, extra medical supplies, extra medical supplies," she chants.

Suppressing the snort of laughter threatening to escape him, Sakumo watches expectantly. There are multiple pops this time, sending all kinds of medical supplies tumbling out of thin air and into her lap. She opens her eyes and squeals in delight. "Yes, yes, yes! Needles, thread, bandages, ointment..." She catalogues them with the elation of a child receiving a present before stowing them carefully into the pouch at her hip, humming happily. "I've been out of supplies for ages and it's been driving me crazy! No med-nin should go on missions without restocking fully."

She gives them all a thumbs up, her face glowing with contentment. " _Now_ we're ready to fight."

* * *

 **A/N:** In case you're wondering if there's any limit to this summoning ability, it's limited to only personal effects/stuff that they use a lot. So it's impossible for Sakumo to summon, say, the Sword of Kusanagi.

On a different note, I will be holidaying from 23rd Dec to 2nd Jan, so I won't be able to update or reply messages/reviews during that time. Next chapter will be the last until I come back! :)


	43. Chapter 43

**Warning:** violence!

 **A/N:** Sorry in advance for the proliferation of footnotes in this chapter... The sequence runs *, **, ^, ^^ because too many asterisks are weird. Enjoy this super long chapter! Splitting it up would ruin the action so I didn't. Remember when I used to write 500+ word chapters? Haha :)

* * *

With another judicious application of genjutsu to shield themselves from view, Konan's great paper birds fly Kakashi and Snake over the large lake surrounding the city and past its iron-spiked walls. They circle about the outskirts of the city before choosing an abandoned district to land.

The city's reliance on coal and steam has created a thick black smog that permeates the air, made only just this side of breathable because of the constant rain that washes it out of the sky. The ghosts descend together with the paper birds, the latter skillfully avoiding the spiderweb of telephone lines and the jutting television antennas threatening to impale them. Cement, mortar, iron and wood twist together to from patchwork buildings rising high into the sky. The buildings are built so densely together that the wingspan of Konan's birds reach from one side of the street to the other. Yet beneath all the grime, is an artistry to it — the brutalist* brick walls are mixed with the traditional woodwork of the eaves; and everything is overlain with the unashamed industriousness of the pipes decorating every building and road.

As they land in the back alley of a rundown restaurant, the unfortunate jumble of smells hit the Sakumo hard, making his nose wrinkle in discomfort. The sewer gurgles beneath a rusted grail and a pungent smell of rot seeps out of a garbage can left uncovered. "It's one of the worse areas," one of the paper birds says quietly in Konan's voice as Kakashi and Snake dismount. For someone as nationalistic as she is, it must hurt for foreigners to see this side of her beloved country. "Hanzou's headquarters are in the central district. You can find it just by following the improvement in infrastructure and hygiene."

With a rustle of paper, the birds transform into a pair of mangy black dogs. Blinking raindrops out of gold-amber eyes, one of the dogs gestures with its head for them to follow. "I'll take you to Ishijima. He'll be the one to confirm your cover story about sneaking here via his supply boats."

The dogs trot away and the pair of ANBU trail closely behind. They duck from one winding alleyway into the other, slowing down and hiding when the rare Ame-nin leaps across the rooftops. "Patrols," Konan explains curtly, the fangs of her paper dog flashing as she speaks. "As far as we know, they go one round about the entire city every hour."

Their destination turns out to be the port located at the very edge of the district. On the grey, tempestuous lake that seems more like a sea, large boats bob upon waves as stevedores busy themselves unloading crates. One of the dogs hide with the ANBU behind a stack of empty boxes while the other runs over to a small warehouse guarded by not a few ninja.

The familiar sensation of static building in the air is the only warning the ghosts get before a ball of lightning flashes down from the sky, headed straight for Kakashi and Snake. "Incoming!" Yahiko shouts but Sakumo is already moving, his tanto forming in his hand just in time for the Raiton to meet the flat of his blade and explode into a shower for sparks. Sakumo grunts as the force of the jutsu pushes him back several inches and sends static skipping down his arms.

Cursing silently in his mind, Sakumo quickly takes a sweep of his surroundings. Four, five, no— seven attackers have appeared and there are possibly more hiding within the buildings hemming them in, waiting for a chance to ambush them. They must have known that Ishijima is a contact of Konan's and planned accordingly. Kakashi stares suspiciously out of the corner of his eye at the dark alleyway they're sequestered in but none of the living seem to realise there are jutsus being thrown about.

Yahiko is already busy fending off two weapon-wielding Ame-nin and while another hurls the occasional ninjutsu from a window sill above. They obviously recognise the young man as the ex-leader of the Akatsuki. Hyaku has her scroll unrolled and a snarl on her face as she wipes her bloodied thumb along the seals drawn in the scroll. "Idiots," she growls, "only sending one because I'm a woman?" She grabs at the first punch that comes her way and her attacker doesn't even have time to shout before he is engulfed in blue light and sucked into her scroll.

Sakumo is making quick work of another two shinobi that have tried to sneak up on Kakashi, Snake and Konan - _dodge, slash, avoid arterial spray, grab the next, knife him between the ribs_ \- when Rin hurries up to him, her mouth set in a thin line. "I'll protect them, Sakumo-san."

He give her a brief nod and smile, opening his mouth to thank her when he spots a flicker at the edge of his vision "Behind—!"

Rin whips around and the Ame-nin that had tried to ambush her collapses like a puppet with his strings cut, the green light of her chakra scalpel fading from the nape of his neck where his spine has been severed. She glances back at Sakumo over her shoulder and laughs shakily. "I'll be fine."

Patting her on the head and making her scowl, Sakumo steps forward to intercept another attack. The new group is smarter - perhaps realising that his hair is silver not because he's an old frail man but because he's a Hatake - and all of them converge on him at once.

They are a team of three: one female kusarigama** user, one sugegasa^-wearing Suiton user and the Raiton user who had attacked earlier, his face is hidden by one of those rebreathers popular in Ame. Armed with a close-range weapon, Sakumo is at a disadvantage but it isn't anything he hasn't overcome before.

As he parries their strikes and jutsus, he analyses the pattern of their movements and plans accordingly, all the while letting them think he's more predictable than he actually is. Block, slash, stab, parry... Moving further down the alleyway, he lets them surround him in favour of drawing them away from Kakashi and the others.

The opening that Sakumo has been looking for comes when the kusarigama user adjusts her grip on the handle of her sickle. Taking advantage of her loosened hold on her weapon, Sakumo shunshins forward into the range of her weapon, close enough to see the sudden, shocked dilation of her pupils. At this distance, the sickle is unwieldy and she won't be able to brain him with that nasty spiked iron weight. Bringing his tanto under her left arm, he aims for the weak, unarmoured spot that lets his blade slip right into the heart. She grabs for the blade with wide eyes but her blood-slick hand gains no traction; she dies anyway when his other hand comes up to snap her neck.

(If they were in another place, another time, Sakumo would have found it reprehensible to raise his voice at a woman much less his strike her but... on the battlefield, replying a kunoichi with the same brutality that she metes out is the only courtesy he can give.)

The Suiton user goes down much the same way because he cares too much for the dead and dying. The momentary distraction is all Sakumo needs to send him following the kunoichi. Perhaps they had been friends? Teammates? Lovers? Their bodies hit the floor and they're dead (again).

The Raiton user is the most experienced of them all and the kunai he's drawn matches Sakumo's tanto in agility. Sneaking a glance at Kakashi, who's conversing with a paunchy civilian man that Sakumo supposes must be Ishijima, Sakumo lets White Chakra infuse his tanto in a burst of pure white light. Sakumo's initial element of surprise is gone but he has other tricks up his sleeve. The White Chakra effectively extends the blade using pure, condensed chakra. It triples the tanto's range, effectively making it the equivalent of a nodachi^^, but carries with it none of the drawbacks regarding weight.

With a quick few hand seals, his opponent sends magenta lightning crackling through the puddle they're both standing in. But with a little wrangling of chakra, Sakumo's lightning affinity co-opts the energy, letting it pass through him with nothing more than a mild headache. His opponent isn't so lucky though — he loses his head before he realises White Chakra does more than make tantos shiny.

And that's that, really.

Flicking the blood off his tanto, Sakumo glances about, his breathing already slowing again. He had never liked killing _per se_ but the fight had made blood and adrenaline surge hard in his veins again— he could taste it on the back of his tongue. For a few minutes, he had felt exhilaratingly alive once more. That all of his opponents are already technically _dead_ takes the edge off the usual guilt that creeps up on him in the aftermath.

Yahiko is finishing off his opponents, Rin and Hyaku are safe, and Kakashi, Snake and Konan are concluding their brief conversation with Ishijima. It seems that Sakumo's minimal use of White Chakra has not affected his son. Scattered about the alleyway, the twice-dead ghosts are dissolving into particles of white light, lighting up the entire alleyway with an eerie, pale glow.

"I'll leave you here," Konan says once Ishijima leaves. The paper dog's lips pull in what might be a smile. "Wish you both the best of luck."

"We'll be in contact," Kakashi assures, watching solemnly as the dogs nod goodbye, dispersing into hundreds of paper planes that shoot into the sky. The two ANBU are left alone in the dark of the night, alone in the Ame slums, their pale faces upturned towards in the thundery skies. All around them, the evidence of battle slowly evaporates like an ethereal dream already forgotten.

* * *

*you can google "brutalist architecture" to see what I mean

**the _kusarigama_ (鎖鎌, lit. "chain-sickle") is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a _kama_ (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle) on a _kusari-fundo_ – a type of metal chain ( _kusari_ ) with a heavy iron weight ( _fundo_ ) at the end _(Wikipedia)_

^conical hat made from sedge woven on a bamboo frame

^^(野太刀): field sword; or _ōdachi_ (大太刀): large/great sword. To qualify as an ōdachi, the sword in question would have a blade length of around 3 _shaku_ (35.79 inches or 90.91 cm) _(Wikipedia)_

 **A/N:** I'm off for my holiday tomorrow! :) Since next chapter will be in 2018 (doesn't that sound scary), I'll use this chapter to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope all of you have a great time :) *hugs*


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N** : I'm back everyone! :) Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year! I certainly had fun and saw some really beautiful sights in Hangzhou and Suzhou. Unfortunately, I also got food poisoning, which meant puking on New Year's Eve. Still feeling queasy even now :(

I wish I could start the year with something fluffy and uplifting, but alas, we are at a particularly dark and gritty juncture of the story. And sorry for the sheer English-ness of the terms "scullery maid" and "butler". I have no idea what other terms I can use :(

* * *

Deep in the heart of Ame there is a sprawling compound heavily guarded by shinobi. Between shallow koi ponds, winding verandas and weeping willow trees, a network of buildings in the traditional style stand proudly in contrast to the dingy high-rise apartments outside its borders. It would be a show of untenable arrogance if not for the reputation of the man who lives within its walls. Hanzou's blatant advertisement of his personal residence-cum-seat of governance is a challenge to anyone who dares oppose him, including the Akatsuki.

The two Konoha ANBU spend a few days discretely observing Hanzou's guards and relaying their observations to Konan via their dead drop at the closest wet market. The mission slows and comes to a standstill for nearly a week as the ANBU consider how best to infiltrate the tightly secured compound. The time is not wasted, however. The pair compile a detailed map of every nook and cranny in the city and make it their business to learn every fact or rumour drifting about.

One in particular perks their ears: children sometimes are picked off the streets to work in the compound or to be trained as a shinobi, should they be lucky enough to possess sufficient chakra reserves. At the back of the compound where the servants' quarters are tucked away, an iron grill door opens out into the street. When the sun sets, homeless children gather outside a safe distance away from the guards, waiting for the servants to bring out the little extra food left over from the day's meals. Usually there isn't much; sometimes there isn't any at all. It's another long three weeks spent watching the gate before the rumour comes to fruition, when one night someone in addition to the usual scullery maid appears.

The man with greying, neatly combed hair is a manservant of high standing – a butler, perhaps. He peers down at the street urchins with distaste. The children leap at the opportunity, crowding up against the grill and waving their arms. "Sir, please! Pick me!"

Some, knowing that they're too young to be chosen, dash for the basket of food set out by the maid instead. With startling speed, they begin stuffing their mouths and grabbing whatever food they could fill their small hands with. Though there is the occasional kindness, too often the weaker amongst them are pushed aside and left hungry by those older and stronger. Even after all these weeks, it breaks Sakumo's heart all over again to see them so stripped of their dignity, scrabbling for mere sustenance.

The butler's narrowed gaze skips from child to child, his arms crossed before his plain, black kimono. Under his assessing eyes, the children grow subdued, their initial excitement tempered into something quiet and anticipatory. Snake and Kakashi are squashed up against the gate in the front, craning their heads and trying their best to get noticed without seeming pushy. This is their best chance to get into Hanzou's residence – otherwise, they might have to resort to disposing of two of the servants and taking their places.

An exhale of relief whistles between Sakumo's teeth when Snake and Kakashi are amongst the five children who are chosen, all of around the same age. With a grimace at their filthy state and a glare at the remaining children's whining, the butler opens the wrought iron gate just enough for those selected to wriggle in. A muffled crying starts at the back of the throng when the door slams shut again.

Kakashi glances back as he hurries after the butler's long footsteps, his eyes dark with regret as his mouth moves silently. _"Sorry."_

With a soft frown, Snake wraps an arm around Kakashi's shoulders and pulls him close, whispering in his ear. Kakashi's gaze falls to the pebbled path beneath their feet and he nods minutely in response, his expression smoothing. Smiling tightly with worry in her eyes, Snake lets him go.

* * *

Unlike what they'd expected, they're not taken to the servants' quarters but rather to the shinobi barracks adjoining the compound. The butler hands them off to a scarred, dark-blonde man at the entrance of the squat cement building, exchanging brief words before leaving with more leisurely footsteps. Their newest guide - a shinobi, no doubt, from the shrewd glint in his eyes and the uniform he wore - leads them into the building and down several flights of stones steps.

The various Ame-nin they pass barely spare the nervous children a glance – used, perhaps, to such a sight. "There is a test," their shinobi guide drawls, striding soundlessly through the narrow, barely-heated hallway. From the harsh scrub of chakra wards over their skin and the jangle of keys pulled from the shinobi's pocket, it is quickly becoming apparent that they are in some kind of dungeon for holding prisoners. "To work here, you'll have to pass the test." He smirks when his charges exchange alarmed looks. "No pressure, _ne_."

"This place..." Rin murmurs, her troubled gaze darting from the flickering white lights to the parallel rows of cells beyond. Already the air is growing stale and thick with odours of unwashed bodies, open toilets and a disturbingly pervasive scent of old blood. It's a far cry from Konoha's cells under T&I, which are almost meticulously clean in comparison. But then, foul living conditions serve as a tactic of its own. Sakumo pulls the collar of his shirt over the lower half of his face and notices Kakashi drawing measured breaths through his mouth, his expression pinched.

The Ame-nin hums a merry tune as he strolls by the cramped cells, seemingly oblivious to the half-hearted abuse hissed at him by hollowed-cheeked prisoners. The children walk in a close huddle, shying away from every raised voice. Once they pass, miserable silence reigns again.

They stop at the last cell in the row. There is only a single prisoner in this one, slumped unconscious against the wall. His hands are manacled behind his back and his light brown hair is blood-matted where it falls over his closed eyes. Kakashi reaches for Snake's hand and traces something under her sleeve in ANBU code, their gazes meeting briefly but meaningfully behind their guide's back.

The Ame-nin fits a key into the lock and kicks open the creaking door of bars. Yahiko slips forward, crouching down to look at his face. "Young," he mutters with a frown, his gaze lingering on the prisoner's bruised but beardless jaw. "I don't recognise him."

"This man has betrayed Ame by consorting with the Akatsuki," their guide declares as he herds the pale-faced children in. Grabbing a wide-eyed Kakashi and pulling him, stumbling, to stand before the prisoner, the Ame-nin smiles. He withdraws a kunai and presses the weapon into Kakashi's trembling hand. With a quick step forward, their guide comes up beside the prisoner and winds his fingers into the unconscious man's hair, pulling to expose a pale neck.

"Kill him."

* * *

 **A/N:** My grades last semester weren't all that good :( I have to really work hard this semester to make up for it, so once the semester starts on 15th Jan, I don't think I can maintain my previous daily update schedule even though I really, really want to. We'll see how it goes!

On another note, I've finally gotten an AO3 account, also under the name Saengak. If you prefer that site's format, you can find me there too :)


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:** Brief reminder that Kazuo is the name Kakashi is assuming for his cover. Both start with K :)

Warnings: some violence

* * *

"I can't," Kakashi breathes, both hands clenched white-knuckled on the hilt of the kunai.

No, not Kakashi. _Kazuo,_ because Kakashi has been a shinobi since he was five and probably has more kills under his belt than the Ame-nin scowling at him.

"He's just another traitor," the Ame-nin goads. "Do it."

Kakashi raises his arms again, putting the edge of the glinting blade against the prisoner's neck, dimpling the vulnerable skin. He's shaking, chest heaving with the sharp pants escaping between his clenched teeth. A bead of blood wells. "I can't," Kakashi whimpers, letting the kunai slip between his fingers and clatter onto the ground. His eyes squeeze tightly shut as he crumbles to his knees, his palms braced against the grimy floor.

There's an angry set to Hyaku's jaw, matching the thunderous expression on Yahiko face, and Rin has her bottom lip caught between her teeth, her expression pained. It's hard for Sakumo to look at the small, trembling form of Kazuo; it's almost unbearable to consider the three other, _real_ , untrained civilian children who look frightened out of their wits. Children may be capable of killing in the heat of the moment, in self-defence (after all, even a cornered rat would bite)... But even with war as the brutal backdrop of these children's lives, it's unthinkable that they should be forced to kill in cold blood.

That's something that shinobi training provides for.

The Ame-nin scoffs and lets go of the prisoner, tugging Kakashi to his feet by the collar of his yukata and shoving him to the side. Shooting a concerned look at Kakashi, Snake steps forward and picks up the discarded kunai, looking up at the shinobi with pleading eyes.

"Shinobi-sama, Kazuo is my brother. If I do it," she breaks off, swallowing heavily, "will you let the both of us pass?"

Surprise flickers over the shinobi's features before his eyes darken. The backhand comes in the blink of an eye - slow by any shinobi's standards - but instead of instinctively flinching away, Snake smothers her training and lets the blow land squarely. It sends her tumbling gracelessly to the ground with a pained yelp, her lip bleeding where it caught on the edge of a tooth. The kunai flies out of her hand — another mistake no shinobi would have made.

"Nee-chan!" Kakashi cries out, tears welling in his eyes as he dashes over to Snake's side. Not for the first time, Sakumo wonders at Kakashi's acting, thankful that his Henge is so different from Kakashi's actual appearance.

"Impertinent brat," the shinobi seethes. " _I_ make the rules here." Kakashi purposely fumbles as he tries to haul Snake to her feet. For a few seconds, the Ame-nin watches them edge away to the corner of the cell, an unreadable look on his face. Just as they're about to get to the door that still stands ajar, he speaks up again, his initial anger gone from his voice. "I'll take you upstairs later. So stay right there."

The hypothesis that had been floating at the back of Sakumo's mind coalescences into a realisation as the Ame-nin turns to the remaining three kids, intimidating them more before relenting when none of them accept the proffered kunai. It was all a test — but not the kind it had appeared to be.

Sakumo suspects that none of them are meant to "pass". Even if the Ame-nin had been testing for shinobi-potential, traumatising potential recruits from the beginning would be detrimental in the long run.

Hanzou is known for his vigilance. His servants come into closer contact with him than most of his own shinobi; any enemy shinobi would jump at the chance to sneak in one of their own amongst their ranks. Indeed, that is what is Konoha is attempting to do right now.

The test was not meant to be a show of loyalty but of weakness. A shinobi would have killed the prisoner or reacted to an oncoming blow on instinct, especially since the standard Henge would have dissipated with such a strike. It's a crude test but one that might be effective towards the average spy. It was also an opportunity to observe the children's disposition — what could potentially convince them to become assassins or informants? Material comforts, ideals, emotional ties?

True to Sakumo's speculations, when the Ame-nin brings them out into the gloomy sunlight once more, none of them are dumped back onto the streets. The butler comes by to collect them and the shinobi gives him a run-down of his recommendations. "That girl's a spunky one, but as long as her little brother's alright she should be fine."

The butler gives the cowering siblings a cool once-over, his eyes lingering on the angry bruise blooming over Snake's cheek. "Alright. Thank you for your work, shinobi-san."

The Ame-nin shrugs. "No skin off my back." He gives the rag-tag group of kids a grin that grows wider when they unconsciously shuffle back a step. "Don't lose these little ones so quickly this time."


	46. Chapter 46

Warnings: extensive headcanons about Ame history and politics :P

* * *

Kakashi and Snake work diligently under the head housekeeper, Tamiko, a stern woman with an abhorrence for any speech above a soft murmur and an even greater detestation for idle talk. It complicates information gathering efforts but when Tamiko is away on whatever errands of her own, their fellow servants are all the more unguarded in their gossip. Even the higher ranked servants - those who serve Hanzou and his household directly - cannot resist the temptation of the occasional tittle-tattle.

Snake and Kakashi quickly befriend the maids as they scrub pots, peel sweet potatoes, wash clothes and complete all the various household labours. Cleaning duty lets them surreptitiously investigate the compound and every now and then, the retired shinobi of a groundskeeper recruits Kakashi to haul about bags of plant matter and food scraps for compost. As time slips by, measured best by the barrel of rice beside the kitchen sink that is refilled every week, the compound becomes as familiar to the ghosts as the ANBU headquarters back home.

It is almost as if Kakashi had returned to his genin days, slogging through the requisite number of D-ranks, though he isn't allowed to roll his eyes as he had then. No, Kazuo is... obedient and eager to please, keenly aware of the unexpected windfall that had granted him warm clothes on his back and three full, if plain, meals a day. After all, none of them had passed the test — it is only by their masters' _kindness_ and _generosity_ that they have been accepted.

Yet, belied by the seemingly peaceful monotony of life within the compound walls, a storm is brewing.

The skin at the nape of Sakumo's neck often prickles with distinct feeling of eyes on his back. Yahiko, Rin and Hyaku all report the same suspicions that they are being watched, but even after weeks bleed into months, they don't manage to glimpse anything more than a sleeve disappearing through a wall, or the flick of long indigo hair slipping round a corner. Despite being a ghost himself, Sakumo feels haunted. If not for the lack of malicious intent, they would have hunted down their observers once and for all. As it is, they make sure to assign at least one ghost each to Kakashi and Snake at all hours.

But what sends cold pooling in Sakumo's stomach are the machinations amongst the living. Danzou's ROOT has an astounding influence within Hanzou's forces, a fact that the undercover ANBU have relayed back to Konoha and the Akatsuki at the first opportunity. In his usual absence, the elder is represented by a fox-masked shinobi called Otsu, a shrewd black-eyed man of few words. Sakumo is frankly disturbed. It's one thing to hear rumours and another entirely to witness Danzou's ROOT operating in broad daylight, complete with an outpost amongst Ame shinobi.

However, for every iota of regard that Hanzou has for ROOT, his wife Murakami detests them the same. Whenever the dark-blue haired woman comes within five feet of Otsu, Sakumo can almost feel their mutual animosity spark like lightning crackling in the air. With her delicate features, lovely kimonos and soft civilian hands, one might be forgiven for assuming that her words have no heft in a world ruled by force, but the truth is far from simple.

She is no ordinary woman. While Hanzou and his compatriots wage battle and ensure Ame's military strength resounds throughout the Nations, she works tirelessly to ensure a steady flow of income into Ame and consequently, Hanzou's shinobi forces. If there's one thing Ame has been blessed with, it's the purity of their iron ores. With more mines and factories employing civilians and putting their knowledge of metallurgy to good use, Ame has become well-known for the quality of their weapons. Extensive merchant networks with Kusa and Ishi have also been carefully nurtured. Food and other supplies that Ame's waterlogged land cannot produce must be imported and much is secretly stockpiled in preparation even rainier days. Should Hanzou's shinobi once more become unable to accept missions due to the eruption of civil war, they can still survive for months afterwards.

Every shinobi knows that during a war, supply lines are a critical determinant of success. Having been cornered into the mountains, the Akatsuki have been handicapped in this respect, something which Yahiko sulks about often. In contrast, Murakami's control over civilian industry keeps Hanzou's rule stable and provides them all a measure of comfort.

It is not only her unexpected position of influence that makes her a threat to Danzou's schemes but moreso her dogged efforts to remind Hanzou of why his followers remain loyal to him. Not because of his strength but what his strength can do: change this war-torn, backwards country. She and the son she bore him, they are the ones holding Hanzou back from complete corruption by a mere spider's thread. It can only be the worst of Murakami's nightmares that a militarist like Danzou would continue to break down what remains of Hanzou's ideals.

From the brief biography he once read in the Bingo Books, Sakumo knows that Hanzou had not started out as a dictator despite the fact that he now rules Ame with an iron-fist. He had not come about his power and widespread support by cruelty but rather by military genius and charisma. This is the man who had spared the Sannin after all, though that act was just as much a calculated political move as a result of mercy. If even three of the strongest shinobi of Konoha lost so utterly to a shinobi of Ame, surely the other Nations would think twice before daring to take advantage of Ame again. And indeed his tactic worked — the Third Shinobi World War was fought in neighbouring Kusa instead.

The hand he extended to his fellow Ame-nin drew them like moths to a light — the only light that shone in the darkness that their barren land was steeped in. He welcomed anyone who would join him; his fervour for his country convinced even the most stubborn of his dissenters.

Hanzou has long since changed. With internal discord decaying even the strongest of foundations and the legendary Rinnegan chipping inexorably its walls... all about Hanzou, his strongholds are slowly crumbling.

* * *

*乙 (otsu) according to google translate.

Fun trivia

Tenzou's ROOT name is "Kinoe", written as 甲. There's this other ROOT guy called "Hinoe" which is 丙.

In Chinese, 甲乙丙丁... is a not-so-common equivalent of 1, 2, 3, 4... It's more complicated than that and I don't completely understand it myself, but yeah. It probably has the same meaning in Japanese? So Tenzou's ROOT name is something like "number one". How cute is that? Danzou loves him so very much.


	47. Chapter 47

Warnings: suicide

* * *

The muffled wail that tears through the dawn drizzle startles everyone. "I had no choice, Hanzou-sama!" Standing in the courtyard's gardens with raindrops rolling off his sugegasa*, Kakashi hefts his basket of dead willow leaves against his hip and peers at the entrance of the main building. Even the groundskeeper stops trawling the pond with his net, his snowy eyebrows raised in curiosity at the commotion behind the closed shouji doors.

Tamiko comes storming along one of the verandas, silencing all chattering with a sweeping glare across the courtyard and sending the eavesdropping servants scattering. The inquisitive faces that had gathered along the other buildings disappear just as quickly. The groundskeeper nudges Kakashi and he bows his head, turning back to the mess last night's storm had made of the carefully pruned flora.

"Should I go check it out?" Rin asks at the sound of banging doors, crashes and the distinct taste of chakra in the air. She steps forward but stops at Sakumo's exclamation.

"Wait, look—"

Rin's gaze follows his towards the roof and her mouth falls open at the sight of their elusive observer. A long braid of honey-brown hair hangs down the back of the woman's cream-coloured cloak, an accusing glint in her amber eyes when she glances at them. The hilt of her katana juts from her waist, her Ame hitai-ate dangling from the pommel. Discretely, Sakumo summons his tanto behind his back but the ghost has already turned away, jumping through the roof and disappearing into the building below.

Before either of them can give chase, the main doors of the building snap open with a sharp crack of wood against wood. Otsu appears, his black cloak flaring behind him like the wings of a raven as he drags a bound man stumbling down the stone steps. Following close behind is Hanzou in an uncharacteristic state of dishevelment, clad only in his sleeping yukata with a haori thrown hastily over his shoulders. He comes to a stop behind the sparse curtain of rain trickling off the eaves, eyes glinting with the promise of retribution though he seems content to let Otsu handle things.

The groundskeeper takes one look at the situation and takes Kakashi by the shoulder, the two of them quickly hurrying to hide in one of the storage sheds. Kakashi's sharp hazel eyes appear between the window slats a moment later. Despite the impropriety, the groundskeeper has a soft spot for Kakashi and indulges him his spying.

Under Otsu's manhandling, the man babbles almost incoherently in an odd mixture of accusations and pleas, but it's clear that he's denying any kind of fault. He's no more than eighteen, his navy-trimmed yukata marking his status as one of the household's personal servants. The ROOT shinobi releases his hold on the brunette's collar and kicks him into the pond with a large splash. The pink lilies bob along the pond's rippling surface for a few seconds before the servant surfaces with a gasp, his hair plastered against his blanched face.

Strolling across the water, his face hidden as usual behind his mask, Otsu fishes the young man out and deposits him, spluttering, on the edge of the lake. "Who ordered you to assassinate Hanzou-sama?" Otsu demands in a low growl. When the other man doesn't answer, he takes him by the back of the collar and shakes him like a disobedient pup.

While the servant wheezes another denial, Murakami comes up beside Hanzou, already properly dressed and her hair neatly coiffed. Her lips are pressed thin when she takes in the scene but her expression is otherwise studiously blank.

"I see we have our long overdue assassination attempt," Hyaku remarks dryly as she approaches Rin and Sakumo, Yahiko following close behind with a disappointed look. Snake's somewhere behind them, also spying on the drama with another maid, pretending to dry the rain-splattered floors. "It's been, what, two months since we got here?"

Sakumo doesn't answer her, his attention caught by the way the would-be-assassin's gaze shifts from Hanzou to Murakami and lingers. The woman's hand tightens on the doorframe, her whole body tensing. And of course, her reaction doesn't go unnoticed by Hanzou. Suspicion slips across his face and Sakumo cannot help but think her unfortunate. No matter what the hidden truth is, she is going to suffer for today's events.

"Quick, bring him to interro—"

Murakami's words fall unfinished when the young man suddenly collapses onto the ground, his eyes rolling back into his head as his body begins to spasm. "It's poison!" Otsu barks but there's nothing they can do; he's dead within the minute, along with any hope of information. Murakami grits her teeth.

The rain's gentle patter reigns for several breaths, a silence that seem to stretch on unbearably long. "Okaa-san?" The sound of a child's frightened voice jerks Murakami of her stupor and she quickly moves to block the courtyard from her young son's view. Sakumo sees a flash of golden hair before it's swallowed up by the folds of her haori, her gentle assurances fading as she quickly herds the boy back into the house. Hanzou's frown follows their retreat.

There's a flicker of movement just behind Rin and Sakumo moves before his brain catches up, putting himself between Rin and the ghost that had just materialised. The same young man whose body Otsu is hauling away gasps at the blade pressing at his throat, his entire body freezing. His pupils are blown wide with fear but he seems to collect himself enough to speak when he sees Sakumo's Konoha hitai-ate.

"You're of Konoha," he breathes, confusion flooding his face. "W-what happened? Otsu-sama he..."

Sakumo lowers his weapon. _'So it really had been...?'_

The young man glances about uneasily. "I thought I'd..." he trails off, looking down at himself in befuddlement.

"You," Yahiko interrupts, his face grim. "Are dead."

The new ghost stares at Yahiko, undisguised shock lighting his ocean blue eyes. "But... Oh, you're Yahiko-san..."

The barest displacement of air warns of their hidden observer's arrival before she's standing before them, not two paces behind the flinching assassin. Her hands twitch where they hang loosely by her side, her previous antagonism carefully hidden. She has no way of taking on four ghosts at once and she knows it. "Since Murakami-sama wasn't able to, I'd like to interrogate him on her behalf." Observing the incredulity and suspicion written on their faces, she reluctantly adds "please" as if it is a distasteful afterthought.

Terrified, the assassin turns to Sakumo and the others in desperation. "Please, don't. You have to protect me — I only did it because Otsu-sama promised; because of Konoha!"

* * *

*conical hat, like in Ch43


	48. Chapter 48

_'Because of Konoha!'_

The assassin's deeply troubling words ring in Sakumo's ears as if he'd been physically slapped. Hyaku is already striding forward, her verdant eyes afire and a demand on her tongue. Unexpectedly, Rin steps up and stops the Uzumaki with a gentle hand against her shoulder. "Let me speak with him." There is steel in Rin's eyes even though she speaks in her usual soft-spoken manner. A teasing smile quirks the corner of her mouth. "You're too scary." Hyaku rolls her eyes but relents in her plan to throttle the new ghost.

Nodding at Sakumo, who returns the gesture, Rin beckons for the assassin to go with her a short distance away. The young man visibly slumps in relief, though he still casts a wary glance back at the thunderous Ame kunoichi. Sakumo takes that as his cue. "How should I address you, ninja-san?" he asks, hoping to forestall any conflict.

His politeness seems to dissipate her anger by sheer surprise. "Meiko, no surname. You must be Hatake-san and Yahiko-san..." The two Ame ghosts exchange thin smiles. "We've crossed swords before. I'm afraid I don't know your other companions, though."

"Uzumaki Hyaku."

"Of course." All that red hair is telling, not to mention her fiery temper.

"And Nohara Rin." Following Sakumo's gaze, Meiko glances over at the med-nin, who is speaking in tones too low for him to catch, her expression open and reassuring. Even though the assassin is taller than her, he looks fragile and crumpled.

"Will you tell me what your interrogator gets from him?" Meiko asks, raising an eyebrow at the odd look that passes over Sakumo's face. Hyaku stifles a snort and the silver-haired ghost smiles. _'How strange that simply being friendly and compassionate - simply being_ Rin _, in other words - has become an interrogation tactic,'_ Sakumo wonders incredulously. _'And how sad.'_

"No reason why not," is all he says out loud. Then, after a pause: "You must be one of the ghosts who were watching us."

Meiko holds his gaze unapologetically. "Yes. I had no way of knowing if you all pose a threat to Murakami-sama or Hanzou-sama."

"You could have asked," Yahiko mutters under his breath.

"You're right, we should have."

They all turn towards the new voice, even as Meiko lets out a hiss. "Sugi-san, it's not safe!"

The doll-faced ghost shoots Meiko a chiding look as she half-floats, half-climbs out of the well to sit on its lip, sweeping her waterfall of indigo hair out of her face to smile at them. It's a pretty gesture; her features look unexpectedly familiar. "I think after two months of peaceful co-existence, it's safe enough. They're not going to suddenly attack Murakami after all this time." Sugi inclines her head at them. "We do apologise."

Yahiko splutters, making Meiko tense, but the words that come out of his mouth next have her rolling her eyes in exasperation. "You're a drowned ghost! Did you die in that well?" Trust Yahiko to break the tension without even trying to.

"Not quite," Sugi says with an amused twist of her mouth. It makes her look even younger, barely out of her teens. "Not at all, actually."

Hyaku knocks Yahiko's breath out with a harsh elbow in the stomach just as Rin returns with the assassin, who doesn't look as upset as he had earlier. She one look at Sugi's repressed grin and Hyaku's innocent smile and shakes her head. "I don't even want to know." Turning back to the assassin, she gives him a nod. "Rai-san, you wished to speak to Yahiko?"

The orange-haired Akatsuki straightens sharply. "Oh? Okay. Sure."

As the pair splits off, the rest gather around Rin. Her earlier humour has disappeared, replaced with a solemn depth to her brown eyes. "He has a younger brother, a shinobi currently working for Hanzou. Otsu found out that their civilian parents worked for the Akatsuki some years back, before they'd passed." The corners of her mouth pull in a slight grimace. "Otsu threatened him using that. Using his brother's safety. Rai made Otsu promise that he'd take his brother to Konoha, in return for..."

Sugi leans forward unconsciously, her fists clenched in the loose fabric of her plain kimono. "For...?"

"Making it seem like the assassination attempt was ordered by Murakami-san. Rai was one of Murakami's personal servants after all."

Meiko swears rather _creatively_ about Konoha-nin and Sugi jumps, her eyes darting towards the other ghosts. "Now, now, Meiko-san. Murakami's a smart girl..." Even as she says that, it's clear that she's beyond worried.

What concerns Sakumo, however, is not ROOT's attempt to sabotage Murakami and Hanzou's relationship — that much has obvious motivations. Rather, it is Otsu's promise to bring Rai's brother to Konoha. Sakumo is almost certain that it was simply a tactic - a carrot to the stick - and not meant to be kept, but the words of the Ame-nin who had tested Kakashi and the other children resurfaces at the back of his mind.

 _("Don't lose these little ones so quickly this time.")_

The events since their arrival in Ame are slowly piecing together into a startling picture but several crucial pieces are still missing before Sakumo can make it a whole. He crosses his arms, frowning in perturbation.

"He wants to see his brother." Rin's voice snaps Sakumo out of his musings. Meiko and Sugi have already broken off from their group, their heads together as they discuss something. Sakumo exchanges a look with Hyaku and the seals master shakes her head minutely. A shaky sigh escapes Rin and her eyes become downcast. "He's probably already in interrogation, huh?"

Sakumo puts his hand on her shoulder, just a warm weight to steady her. "It's better that Rai doesn't know. We'll... distract him somehow." However impossible that this whole thing is some kind of convoluted recruitment strategy, Sakumo hopes against hope that Otsu will keep his word and recruit Rai's brother into ROOT. It will be the end of the road for another innocent, otherwise.

* * *

 **A/N:** sorry for the proliferation of OCs but they are necessary for the plot and future _feels_. Anyone up to guessing who Sugi is, even though there's not much to go on? :D


	49. Chapter 49

While Yahiko goes off to check up on Rai's brother - motivated, perhaps, by some feeling of duty towards their dead parents - Sakumo and the others take turns making sure that Rai stays put. They make up some excuse about not trusting him but it's for the better despite the hurt and anxiety on Rai's face. The group's resolve grows all the more when Yahiko returns pale, shaking his head at Sakumo's unspoken question.

When the head housekeeper calls for Kakashi first thing the next day, Sakumo has different worries altogether. _'Kakashi hasn't done anything to warrant suspicion, has he?'_ His doubts only multiply when Kakashi is led to the main building and the butler greets them at the door. Cold as ever, the man doesn't give anything away as the pair make their way through the winding corridors. All around them, the household is still steeped the sleepy silence of pre-dawn.

They come to a stop deep in the building, where a small training ground stands, its bamboo planted borders lined with lit stone tourou*. It's one of Ame's rare rainless mornings and Hanzou is there with a bokken in his hand, running smoothly through a kata**. His feet draw graceful patterns in the sand as he moves in a sure, meditative way, restrained power in each of his forms.

The butler prompts Kakashi to kneel and he does, bowing low until his hair brushes the cool floorboards of the veranda. No-one calls out to Hanzou; he knows they are there and he will acknowledge them when he sees fit. Sakumo narrows his eyes at him just on principle but the tight knot in his stomach eases a little. Hanzou won't bother playing mind games with a civilian servant; he'll just order him off to interrogation like Rai's brother.

At last, Hanzou finishes whatever training schedule he has and walks up to them on silent footsteps. "Hanzou-sama, the replacement for the one you sent to Murakami-sama..."

Rai had mentioned that he was one of Murakami's. From the butler's words, Sakumo supposes Hanzou has sent one of his servants to replace Rai, leaving an empty place amongst his own. As for whether it is a sign of distrust rather than plain generosity towards his wife, Sakumo thinks the former.

"Raise your head," Hanzou commands impassively, tucking the bokken into his obi and resting his forearm against the pommel. Kakashi straightens, though he keeps his eyes respectfully on the floor. "What's your name, boy?"

"Kazuo, my lord."

"Hm. Age?"

"Eleven, my lord."

"You're a bit small for your age," Hanzou remarks idly as he ascends the steps leading up to the veranda. Kakashi just bows his head a little lower, uncertainty radiating from his posture. The Ame-nin pauses at the last step and kicks off the sand on his sandals. "Do you know how to read?"

"F-forgive me, Hanzou-sama, I..." Kakashi forehead touches the floor again, his shoulders hunched. Unable to continue watching his son abase himself, Sakumo turns his eyes to the brightening skies and lets out a shuddering exhale. _''It's just your pride talking, Hatake, this is for the_ mission.'

Completion of the mission, and nothing else, is pride and dignity for a shinobi. (But Sakumo really hates that voice in his head. How can one thing both make and break him? All that blood on his hands, his own amongst others...)

"That's acceptable," Hanzou says, walking past Kakashi and into the building. "Youta, get Sora to show Kazuo around."

"Understood," the butler answers, bowing.

"Thank you, Hanzou-sama!" It's a promotion and Kakashi reacts accordingly with restrained excitement and apprehension. Getting closer to Hanzou is an unexpected boon for the mission too, so for once Kakashi and Kazuo might be in agreement. Sakumo tries to think of silver linings - _'the mission, Hatake, the mission'_ \- but when he remembers Rai and his brother, all he feels is the lump in his throat.

* * *

"Work hard," Snake says with a faint smile as she tries to smooth Kakashi's hair into something neater. Even in disguise, Kakashi's hair is a rebellious thing with a mind of its own. "And be careful."

"Yes, nee-chan." His placid tones turn into a low growl when when Snake pinches his cheek and pulls. "Nee-chwaaan."

Now that Kakashi has been _promoted_ , he is not allowed to leave the compound at all. Luckily, it doesn't change much since it has been Snake's job thus far to send out their status reports when the older maids bring her along to the wet market. These irregular opportunities are all they have to get information out to the Akatsuki and consequently, to Konoha. Due to the Paper Burning Barrier jutsu that protects the compound like a glass dome, not even Konan can send her paper animals to contact them.

The brief replies in Minato's hand have always come back the same: "orders unchanged". The show goes on even as Kakashi steps into deeper waters.

"Don't talk about anything you see or hear, or Hanzou-sama will cut your tongue out," Sora warns as he runs through Kakashi's new duties, the main one of which is to be the food taster. Any poisoning attempt will kill Kakashi first before it does Hanzou, and in the case of slow-acting poisons, the forewarning provided by a dead food taster will enable a med-nin to act more quickly than otherwise. Courtesy of ANBU, Kakashi has an immunity towards most poisons. It's cold comfort, however, since anyone trying to kill Hanzou - a man known for his own salamander-derived toxicity - will use the most lethal concoction they can obtain.

Sakumo counts down the weeks until they are due to return to Konoha. _'Just 7 more.'_ Still, that's 147 chances for fatal poisoning and 147 too many.

* * *

*(灯籠) traditional Japanese lanterns

**(型) detailed choreographed patterns of movements; form (Wikipedia)


	50. Chapter 50

**Warnings** : see below if you're curious/worried because I don't want to spoil the chapter here. It's pretty dark. Other warning for swearing.

* * *

Otsu approaches Hanzou the next day with a piece of paper in his hand. Kakashi is there with Hanzou as well, having eaten the sampling of food taken from Hanzou's plate. Only after waiting out an hour's observation to see whether Kakashi keels over and dies will Hanzou take his meal.

"Hanzou-sama. The assassin's brother has confessed."

The Ame-nin looks up from the scroll he had been reading, a blonde eyebrow arching as he takes the report offered. He sets it down after a quick scan. "Anyone will confess after being subjected to the third degree." He pauses briefly. "But I will take note." His fingers tap against the low table before he comes to a decision and waves his hand in an almost careless gesture. "Execute him anyway."

Rin slumps and lets out a soft "oh". Sakumo leans over to pat her knee sympathetically, having expected that Hanzou would make an example of Rai.

"It will be done." Behind his fox-mask, Otsu's shadowed eyes flit to Kakashi, who is seated in the far corner of the room. "I would also like to speak to you about the next transfer."

If anything, Hanzou seems even unhappier at this new topic, though his face is mostly hidden behind the rebreather he wears even indoors. He waves for Otsu to sit. "Kazuo, where are you going?" Sakumo is faintly surprised that Hanzou bothers to remember his servants' names.

Kakashi freezes halfway across the room, whirling to face the Ame-nin, his hands clasped behind his back. "Um, the tea, Hanzou-sama?"

Hanzou gestures for Kakashi to continue, amusement crinkling his eyes slightly. "I don't drink tea," Otsu says in his usual blunt manner just as Kakashi picks up the teapot, making him falter.

"Humour the new boy," Hanzou says dryly. Everyone in the room looks at him in varying degrees of incredulity. "He's being such a good host." Is this his bizzare way of getting back at Otsu for bringing up an unwanted topic?

Otsu nods stiffly and Kakashi pours the tea. The ROOT shinobi drinks discretely behind his mask, one cup and no more. "About the transfer—"

Sighing, Hanzou leans his elbows against the table and clasps his hands. "I've already gotten Youta to look around the city. I'm not sending any of my servants this time though, it's a pain to replace them even with Murakami's test."

Otsu considers his words. "I understand. A greater risk of infiltration naturally comes with a high recruitment rate."

"Oh, what about Rai's brother?" Hanzou seems pleased at the idea. "Might as well make use of him."

But the ROOT shinobi shakes his head. "He is above the age range required." Hanzou scowls but Otsu misunderstands the reason for Hanzou's displeasure which, Sakumo now realises, are probably the stirrings of guilt from this deal to _traffic Ame children._ The conversation turns Sakumo's stomach in a way nothing has for a long time, the situation made only worse because this is only the latest deal amongst many. "His abilities are mediocre at best," Otsu tries to reassure. "The ROOT agents whom Danzou-sama will send in return will compensate for the decrease in manpower several times over."

"What—" Rin swallows heavily, looking pale. "What does ROOT need Ame kids for?"

Is Hanzou really so desperate for more military power that he will stoop to sacrificing civilian children, trading them off to who knows where? Yes, it's Danzou behind it, an elder of _Konoha_ , but what does that even guarantee?

And then there's the fact that they're civilian children. _Civilian_. The rationales for stealing shinobi children, especially those with kekkei genkai, are obvious. (When he had still been amongst the living, Sakumo himself never spoke of Kakashi outside of Konoha.) But civilian children... It makes Sakumo clench his fists in nauseated fury just to consider what could be happening.

 _'Oh god.'_ Sakumo's thoughts are in turmoil. _'No... ROOT is a military organisation. They have no reason to dabble in such... immorality*.'_ It still doesn't explain what kind of benefit ROOT is trying to obtain. _'And just how many people know about this?_

 _'...how can Hanzou do something like this and still be able to smile at his own son?'_

Almost instinctively, his eyes search for Kakashi and find him back in the room's corner, his legs folded neatly beneath him and his gaze fixed on the floor. The only indication of anger is the near-imperceptible tension of his bony shoulders and the blankness of his expression — the same look Kakashi gets before smashing Chidori through an enemy-nin's chest.

The thought lets Sakumo breathe again. They might think that they have it all under wraps but it'll be their very disregard for _mere_ civilian children that spells their downfall. Between the efforts of the living and the dead, they'll find out how far this corruption goes and when they do...

They'll purge this poison.

* * *

"He's fine. You can finally move on without any regrets," Sakumo reassures with a smile, or at least what he hopes is a convincing facsimile of one, because he has never been good at lying. "We heard Otsu making arrangements to send him back to Konoha just this afternoon."

Rai looks up from his glowing, disintegrating hand with pain flashing through his eyes. "Don't _bullshit_ me," he snaps. "I know that—" his words falter and his throat works harshly. "He's already dead isn't he."

None of the ghosts can look him in the eye. Without their anchor, ghosts can't stay in the mortal world.

"You'll see him on the other side," Sugi whispers, her eyes glittering with tears.

He turns on her, baring his teeth as anger resurges hotly. There are more shimmering shards of light coming loose now, floating through the dark garden like those fireflies Sakumo had watched with Rin all those years ago. But this time it's a macabre beauty; Rin's silence is shadowed by the weight of what had transpired.

"Why didn't any of you kill him?" Rai rage. "You are shinobi! I _know_ you can just put a jutsu through his chest and end it all, so why don't you? Meiko-san, he's trying to sabotage Murakami-sama, why aren't you doing anything?"

Meiko's face twists but she knows better than to try to explain that killing Otsu will only put more suspicion on Murakami. Neither can Sakumo or the others do anything, since a mysterious death will put more pressure on Kakashi and Snake's cover. Again and again, their hands are tied.

Expression crumpling in the face of their silence, Rai sinks into a crouch, burying his head in his arms. A low wail escapes him, raw and steeped in grief, ending in a shout full of helpless fury. "You fucking bastards," he spits out with scalding vehemence. "Always thinking you're better. Using us like we're not even human." He rises on unsteady feet, tears tracking down his cheeks even as he turns hate-filled eyes on them. "Someday someone will laugh and kick you when you're already down on your knees — then you'll know what it feels like." Gritting his teeth, he turns and limps away.

They let him go. There's no point stopping him now. His edges lose definition with every step he takes (falling apart, crumbling, his very self slipping through the bindings of regret) until finally he falls and shatters in a shower of white embers.

Like stars thoughtlessly strewn in the grass.

He's just shy of the walls bordering the compound.

* * *

Warnings: implied child trafficking.

* * *

*If you've caught on to what Sakumo was freaking out about, don't worry, I won't spring something like that on you guys. That's too dark for me to write about and like Sakumo reasoned, ROOT has no reason to do things like that. If you didn't get my vague waffling, don't worry about it! What's actually happening is an extension of canon. (Though some pretty horrible stuff happens in canon too right?)

 **A/N:** Poor thing, Rai's brother. Not everyone has crazy powerful ninja abilities that ROOT wants to steal.

And on a more cheerful note, happy 50th chapter! :D huge, huge thank you's to every single one of you, this story would have never come this far without all the incredible support you all have given me. You all are better than a whole basket of puppies! Seriously.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N:** Family drama! Sorry that there's no Kakashi today!

* * *

Conversation during dinner is unbearably strained. The only prospect of civility between Hanzou and Murakami is through their ten-year-old son, who is chattering about a new jutsu he has learnt. His parents indulge him with their attention and encouragement but the way they speak only to him and not to each other only excarbates the tension in the air.

When their son excuses himself with a flimsy excuse about studying, leaving half his food untouched, the silence that falls between the couple relaxes in some ways and pulls tighter in others. The servants read the mood well enough to leave the dishes as they are, making themselves scarce until they are called.

"They weren't always like this," Sugi titters awkwardly. Only she and Sakumo are there - Kakashi somewhere behind the shouji screen doors - the others either watching over Snake or taking a stroll in the gardens. A rare starry night has spread itself across Ame's skies tonight.

He feels obliged to reassure her even though he doesn't completely understand her nervousness. "Maa, every couple has their issues." A sad smile lifts the corners of Sugi's mouth as she agrees.

Hanzou clears his throat behind the rebreather he'd donned again after the meal. "I am... concerned about Hanyu's safety. The Akatsuki have been becoming more active recently." His wife's expressionless mask cracks a little at the mention of their son. "It would be better if both of you moved out of Ame. Kawa no Kuni is a good choice, I think. The land there is fertile and their crop abundant. It'll be easier and safer living there."

She reaches for her tea, trying to seek a distraction from having to answer, but her trembling fingers barely brush the lip of the ceramic teacup before she snatches her hand back. She fists her hand into the fabric of her haori to hide the evidence of her agitation. "Hanzou..."

"It won't be forever, just until this issue with the Akatsuki is settled." He says it lightly, trying to diffuse her anger with his own pretence of nonchalance. It's like throwing water into lava — everything only explode all the faster.

The teacup smashes into the far wall and shatters into a hundred gleaming pieces, making everyone in the room flinch. In sharp juxtaposition to her actions, her words come in a tightly controlled murmur. "And when will that be?" Her eyes are a frozen azure.

"How would I know?" Hanzou scowls, glancing at the shards of ceramic, the largest of which still rocking on its curved edge. "Even I can't predict the future."

"If you suspect me and want me gone, just tell me to my face. And I'll _understand_ ," she spits out the word bitterly, "that these eighteen years we have known each other mean _nothing_."

"Why can't you just accept that I'm concerned about your safety?" Annoyance is clear in his voice. "Why do you have to twist it into something else?"

"Because I saw the way you looked at me that day!" Murakami hisses, her eyes flashing with hurt. "How can you even—"

"I am the ruler of Ame! It's my _duty_ to be suspicious of everyone," he rebuts, his voice as harsh as his words.

They glare at each other, two stubborn bulls locking horns in the deafening silence. Murakami looks away first, blinking away the moisture gathering in her eyes. "If you don't trust that I love you, then trust that I love our son. I would never do anything that would break apart this family or this country — the things I have built with my very own hands." Hanzou's tense shoulders relax an inch, his expression softening slightly. "I won't let anyone destroy them either," she continues, her gaze still fixed on her clasped hands. "I have sent a letter to the Hokage informing him of Danzou's activities here."

Hanzou's chakra bursts into the air as if a exploding tag had gone off, its sudden, oppressive pressure shocking a gasp out of the dark-haired woman. "What did you say?!" he roars, his hands clamping down on the edges of the table as he half-rises. Beside Sakumo, Sugi makes a faint sound of distress.

Murakami tilts up her chin defiantly, her mouth a grim line and her cheeks flushed with determination. "You won't be able to track it down. I sent it three weeks ago through the trade routes."

The table creaks under the force of Hanzou's grip. Slowly, he uncurls his fingers and sits back down, reeling back his swirling chakra bit by bit. "Get out. Before I kill you."

She stiffens but rises smoothly to her feet a moment later, her spine straight and her shoulders set even as she gathers the loose folds of her haori about herself and wraps her arms about her waist. Her hand has just alighted on the shouji door when Hanzou speaks again, his voice gravelly and unkind. "Go pack. You leave in a fortnight."

She starts to turn but catches herself, settling for a mute incline of her head instead. The door closes silently behind her and Hanzou slams his fist down on the table, cracking its lacquered surface.


	52. Chapter 52

Warnings: you know the drill when it comes to our dear Saku-chan.

* * *

Sakumo finds Sugi staring morosely at the outside of Murakami's darkened room, leaning her head against one of the pillars lining the open-air walkway. Half-shadowed from the silver moonlight, she looks drained of colour, faded like her fraying kimono. She had run off after Murakami right after the debacle at dinner. There was such a distraught look on her face that Sakumo felt compelled to check up on her after Rin had taken over his watch.

Now that he has found her, he feels at a loss as to what to say. He doesn't even know a thing about her, really. In the end, he settles for sitting down cross-legged along the edge of the veranda, facing the wide dome of stars that stretches above them. The familiar heavy grey rainclouds are already on the move, swallowing glittering stars in pairs and triplets with each inch crawled along the sky.

Misery loves company; not always out of schadenfreude but rather want of comfort.

When she finally speaks, all the stars in the sky have been hidden behind a veil of darkness. "I wish I could be a shinobi like you." She regards him with a wistful tinge to her smile. "Then I can actually do something for Murakami instead of standing around."

Even though being a shinobi isn't all that it's cracked up to be, Sakumo can't deny the truth in her words. He'd have gone crazy long ago if he had been a powerless civilian. It had been punishing, those first few months when Sakumo had nothing to distract himself from the his utter helplessness to comfort Kakashi.

"Will you be leaving with Murakami-san?"

Sugi hangs her head, the curtain of hair that hides her face a silken fall of black. "Even though I have no right to call myself such... I am her mother. Wherever she goes, I will be there with her too."

 _'Oh.'_ The fact that she looks so young - not more than a few years over twenty at Sakumo's estimate - had thrown him off. Now, he sees the familial resemblance. One day Kakashi will appear older than Sakumo too. It's a funny thought.

There's an unfamiliar pressure in his chest, building with an inexorable sort of force now that he realises Sugi might just be in the same situation as he. Perhaps it's _his_ misery that craves company; freedom seems to be on the tip of his tongue even though she isn't Kakashi.

She can't exonerate him but his confession slips through his lips anyway. "I'm a parent, too."

Sugi looks up and stares. Sakumo isn't sure what's written on his face, doesn't know what he's searching for, but he recognises the undertow of desperation that's surging through him. He _needs_ this.

Her expression blanks. "You must have died for your village—"

He shakes his head, unable to bear this misunderstanding. He is no martyr. "I'd failed a mission." After this long, the details don't matter. "And I killed myself out of shame. My son... he was only five, then. I've been following him around since."

His sentences come out jerky and without finesse but with every tumbling word, it is as if the mountain bearing down on him eases back a little. He had had no-one to confide in before — Rin has enough troubles for someone so young and the other Konoha ghosts who had died in sacrifice will not understand. _'You men are unexpectedly fragile,'_ Yoriko had once observed, the fondness in her voice softening her bemused words. Sakumo had protested vehemently then, but now, he can almost feel his bones cracking under the strain.

Sugi wraps her arms around herself, her gaze becoming downcast. At the sight, Sakumo wonders abruptly if he has been selfish. The thought is like a splash of cold water. Hadn't he meant to offer comfort when he had gone in search of her? And yet, he has now needlessly burdened her, an already burdened soul, with his own problems. He wavers, torn. Opening his mouth, he prepares to apologise (or to say something trite like "nevermind") and excuse himself before he makes more mistakes. The sound of her soft voice makes him bite back his words to listen instead.

"I was sixteen when I married a trader from Kusa. He had come to Ame to do business." She takes a shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering closed as she braces herself. Perhaps... Perhaps she needs to share this as much as he does. Sakumo feels his twisting insides unwind a little.

"When Murakami was six, my husband was killed and we were on the run with nothing but the clothes on our back. " Her mouth twists, full of anger at herself. "I was only twenty-two, just a stupid girl who became a widow and a single-mother too soon. I couldn't bear it. Couldn't even face the next day much less the years that stretched before me, so I ended it." The brevity of her narration veils the raw exposure of her heart.

She dashes at her eyes, pressing against them with the heels of her palms as her shoulder tremble. "I'm so proud of her. Having a mother like me... She made it through when I had despaired and given up." A low, strained chuckle escapes. "I'm so proud of her."

Sakumo doesn't need to say "I understand". Both of them know what the silence means and what unspoken things it is filled with. Neither of them have answers to the questions of guilt and forgiveness, but for once, neither of them feel quite so alone.

The quiet is a smothering blanket but the air tastes sweet, like relief.

"That boy — Kazuo..."

"Hmm, yes."

Sugi nods and lets her head thud back against the pillar. "Have you thought about what... what you'd say?"

It's a question that Sakumo has thought about often. "Sorry," he says after a pause. "There's not much other than that. I don't have a speech."

A soft snort makes him glance over. Behind lashes wet with tears, there is wry amusement in Sugi's eyes. "Yeah. I don't have one either."

Sakumo finds himself smiling despite everything. It's an emaciated skeleton of a smile, for sure, but one nonetheless.

* * *

 **A/N:** The holidays are drawing to a close and I find myself staring bemusedly at my readings. You know what this means... Updates will be sporadic from now on!


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N:** hooray, an update! :D Hope this week has treated all of you well. I'm fairly drowning in readings (I need Konan's paper jutsu!) but it's the weekend and time to relax a bit ;)

* * *

The little striped gecko tucked along the top of Snake's left ear paws at her hair in agitation, its beady black eyes glinting as it opens its mouth to speak in an inexplicably human voice. "We're giving up?"

Snake grimaces sympathetically though the gecko can't see her face. "I'm sorry, Konan-san. We really don't have enough information to track them down. That we found out about this at all was a stroke of luck."

Hidden behind a stack of styrofoam cooler boxes in the corner of the wet market, Snake squints at the tiny lettering on the piece of paper in her hand. The message is written in two codes, one of them Akatsuki's and the other one of Konoha's ANBU encryptions. Courtesy of hours spent studying over Kakashi's shoulder, Sakumo manages to understand the carefully constructed symbols before Snake folds the letter back into half. With a barely noticeable flex of Konan's chakra, the piece of paper folds up further and takes to the air as an airplane.

"I don't even know if they've chosen the children yet," Snake says lowly, her shoulders tensing as the booming voice of the nearest fish-monger washes over them. "Much less when they'll make the... delivery." Her eyes dart towards the narrow path between the parallel rows of stalls. In the box beside her, the dead-eyed stares of several white bass glisten from their coffin of crushed ice.

Konan's paper gecko looks as upset as a gecko can possibly seem, its mouth snapping open and shut as if wanting to bite down on something. "Fine," it says eventually. "Konoha had better guard her borders tight and arrest them when they cross over."

Everyone, including the ghosts, is disappointed by the order to stand down but there simply isn't a feasible solution at the moment. "What does the rest of the letter say? I didn't manage to see all of it." Yahiko asks, looking between Hyaku and Sakumo with still a flicker of hope in his eyes.

Other than the order regarding the Ame children, there is only one other sentence in Akatsuki code and Sakumo explains it to Yahiko. _'_ _Change re: mission obj 2: interrogation + clean-up + blackout.'_

Mission objective 2 refers to Danzou. The mission has just been elevated from an information-gathering mission to a search and destroy operation. But there is no mention of backup despite the number of ROOT agents standing at two squads* if not more. Sakumo's blood runs cold at the sheer difference in numbers and Hyaku shakes her head somberly. The only way for this mission to become even more suicidal is to attempt to assassinate Hanzou. There's no choice though — the mission evolves as needs be. If Snake is perturbed by the change in orders, she doesn't let it show.

After sharing a meaningful look, the Konoha ghosts keep silent about the second part written in ANBU code: ' _Change re: pt 20: collaborate if needed'._ "Pt 20" is just as worrying as the others, since it refers to nothing other than Murakami's letter to the Hokage. Konan will be furious if she finds out that Minato has given permission to his ANBU to work with the enemy; Murakami herself remains unpredictable despite her apparent willingness to work with Konoha.

Konan's little messenger slips along the shell of Snake's ear, lands on her shoulder, and crawls down her arm to stand on the back of her hand. Snake brings it to eye-level, smiling grimly. "I'll see you around—"

"What's at the bottom of the letter? It's not in our shared code," the gecko accuses, eyeing Snake.

"Just an update on personal matters," the ANBU agent lies, not batting an eye. "Family."

The gecko flicks its tongue suspiciously - as if it's able to taste the falsehood in the air - and Snake lets it down onto the ground. "Alright," it murmurs unhappily, watching Snake pull out a small bundle of papers filled with these weeks' encoded information. Without another word, the gecko begins to lose form. Snake's papers flutter and come loose as they become incorporated into Konan's proxy's new form. A storm grey kitten blinks up at Snake a moment later, giving a nod goodbye before trotting off and disappearing between two aquariums of lobster and octupi.

Sighing, Snake hauls her box of fish aloft with a grunt and sets off to find the other maids. Hopefully they have not started to wonder about her absence.

"Family?" Yahiko murmurs thoughtfully as they trail after her. "The Hokage is pretty close to his ANBU huh? Playing messenger and all that."

 _'If only,'_ Sakumo thinks forlornly. Snake and Kakashi can sure do with some encouragement.

* * *

*around 24 people


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N:** _'This is sign language'_ and "this is spoken speech". Happy angsty Monday guys :)

* * *

Kakashi and Snake have collected a good amount of information on Hanzou and Danzou's general movements but the specifics necessary for a thorough search and destroy mission remain distressingly lacking. Akatsuki's escalating attacks throughout Amegakure call Hanzou and ROOT away from the compound all hours of the day, and the remaining few ROOT agents are frustratingly tight-lipped. In fact, if not for their ability to acknowledge orders verbally, Sakumo might have suspected that they are a bunch of literal (and not just metaphorical) puppets.

By the end of the week, Kakashi is desperate enough to try spilling hot soup on one of the ROOT shinobi guarding Hanzou's conference room - it takes a surprising amount of skill to predict how they will dodge in order to aim effectively - in hopes that he would accept an offer to do his laundry and perhaps deliver it as well, sir?

At least the resulting beating from the head housekeeper gives Snake and Kakashi an excuse to shut themselves in the bathroom and have a proper, lengthy discussion using ANBU handsigns. Their hands flick through the sign language rapidly, but between the occasional mouthed word and change of expression, their trio of ghostly observers just manage to keep up with the silent conversation.

It becomes clear that the potential gains of approaching Murakami outweigh the risks. _'I'll go,_ ' Kakashi signs, rolling his eyes when Snake gives the abused skin along the back of his calves a pointed look. Just looking at the angry red cane marks makes Sakumo wince, his own skin prickling in sympathy.

Snake digs out the small bottle of ointment from the cupboard above the sink and pours a little onto her fingers. When she dabs the ointment over the raised stripes, the skin around Kakashi's eyes tightens but not a sound escapes him. Rin sighs plaintively, leaning her elbows against her knees where she's perched on thin air. "Would it really be suspicious if I healed him?" Sakumo and Hyaku both automatically reach out to ruffle her hair and their hands bump above her head. They share sheepish grins as a very unimpressed Rin raises an eyebrow.

"Idiot," Snake says softly, when she finishes. Rin makes a sound of wholehearted agreement. "You shouldn't have done this."

Twitching his shoulders in exasperation, Kakashi twists around to examine his legs. "At least we know that hot soup isn't—" he breaks of and signs _'valid option'_ then _'assassination'_. Snake snorts and slaps him lightly over the head, making Kakashi narrow his eyes in mock anger. "Anyway..." He forms the signs single-handedly as he reaches for his toothbrush. _'I have a better chance of getting her alone.'_

She hesitates, conflicted, before her chin dips towards her chest in a slow nod. _'Careful.'_ Kakashi eye-smiles at her in the mirror before giving her a cheesy, Gai-esque thumbs up.

* * *

"Murakami-sama, I have a message for you from Hanzou-sama."

She looks up from the heavy scroll she had been considering, her brows instantly pulling together in a faint frown before the slip of emotion is smoothed away into placidity. "Come in." Besides her, Sugi waves at Sakumo with a smile while Meiko simply quirks an eyebrow. He nods back as he joins them in their corner beside the window.

Kakashi pads through the open doorway of her office, ducking out of the way of another servant with a large box in his arms. Other similar cardboard boxes are scattered around the room, packed with things from the half-empty shelves lining the walls. Seated behind her desk, she is a lonesome figure silhouetted against a backdrop of evergreens.

Bowing, Kakashi presents her a slip of paper. As she reads it, her confusion melts rapidly into alarm, her eyes widening and darting between Kakashi and the message he had crafted with Snake last night. Behind Murakami's shoulder, Sugi inhales sharply and Meiko levels a narrowed-eye look at Sakumo. He holds up his hands in a helpless gesture. "Sorry?"

Snapping out of her shock, Murakami puts on a displeased moue and dismisses all the other servants, claiming that all the noise is giving her a headache. Once they have hastily left and closed the door behind them, Kakashi relaxes and straightens, giving her a small smile and a tilt of his head. "If I could get Murakami-sama some paper to draft a reply...?"

She nods jerkily, indicating one of the shelves. Her whole body tenses upon the realisation that Kakashi's entire demeanour has changed. Despite his respectful word, the deferential, docile servant is present no longer; in his place is a predator whose presence fills the room. There is a distinct feeling of _awareness_ – from the light-footed balance of his walk to the self-assured posture of his body, everything whispers _shinobi._

Murakami may be threatened but to Sakumo, it just feels like Kakashi has come back home. The older Hatake must have accidentally smiled too much because Meiko is scowling harder than ever.

Setting down the papers before Murakami, Kakashi waits expectantly for her reply. The walls have ears — discussing matters of espionage aloud would be the height of imprudence. She snatches up her brush from its stand and dips it in well of the inkstone, her words flowing quickly over blank white.

 _'You have been here to spy for a long time.'_

Shrugging, Kakashi takes the brush from her hand. _'No matter. I am not here to kill you or Hanzou, only ROOT.'_ The letter Kakashi had given her contains their offer: all her information on ROOT, especially the location of their outposts, in exchange for their disposal.

Her initial fear has subsided, leaving a calculating glint in her eye. Recognising whatever information leak they've suffered cannot be undone, she wastes no time with accusations. Instead, she drives a hard bargain for what their faction needs to survive. _'You can't find ROOT. You need my help. If you are here, you must have someone in Akatsuki as well. I'll exchange information on ROOT for the same regarding Akatsuki."_

Kakashi's expression doesn't change as he immediately scrawls his reply. Hesitation is a concession that she has the upper hand; it is a fatal weakness that he cannot expose. _'If we cannot find ROOT, it'll be your loss.'_

 _'A loss I can bear.'_

They stare at each other, silently measuring the strength of their positions in this impasse. Kakashi lets his face fall blank. _'Our negotiation doesn't have to be friendly.'_

 _'Kidnappings are more difficult than assassinations.'_

 _'I can fit three days of torture in five minutes.'_ Kakashi braces his hands against the table and grins with bared teeth, an incongruently harsh expression on the face of a child. He lets the Henge in his left eye fade and the Sharingan swirls into sight.

Murakami reels back with a strangled gasp, looking away instinctively before realising that that she shouldn't have taken her eyes off a shinobi in such close proximity. She returns her gaze to Kakashi's hands instead, her face drained of all colour. Meiko's hand is on the hilt of her katana, her face thunderous, but Sugi is preventing her from drawing with a hand clasped over hers.

"You don't believe I can take on the White Fang?" Meiko snarls, eyes flashing.

"Please, Meiko-san," Sugi murmurs, looking pained. "They're still negotiating." Her eyes meet Sakumo's briefly, a hundred words passing between them in a single glance. Neither of them want a confrontation but if that is what the circumstances demand... neither of them will hold back.

 _'Hatake Kakashi.'_ Murakami forms the characters slowly and deliberately, hesitating many times before she bites her lip and continues in a steadier hand. _'You won't be able to maintain your cover if anything happens to me.'_

It's true but Kakashi brushes it aside with a roll of his eyes, affecting a callous dismissiveness. _'My cover doesn't matter anymore.'_ When she hesitates again before reaching for the brush, he chooses the moment to dangle the carrot. _'I'll do you a favour out of goodwill. I have information that will save you and your son's lives. It's yours if you do your best to obtain all the information on ROOT you can.'_

The look of horror flooding Murakami's face and the mirroring flinch from Sugi makes Sakumo's heart clench sharply. It's a relief when Murakami concedes. But how he wishes that they had the opportunity to see the kind and gentle sides of Kakashi instead of the cruel masks he puts on for the sake of the mission.

* * *

 **A/N:** I only realised recently that Murakami is actually the surname of a famous writer. No wonder that name stuck in my brain like glue! Sorry about this, it must have been weird for you guys if you'd recognised the name. Usually I google names before using them to avoid this kind of situation but I forgot this time :( Apologies to real life Murakami-san. (Not that he'll ever see this story...? Hahaha) At least fanfic-Murakami is a relatively nice person? :P

And sorry again for the many OCs, I'm kinda missing the Naruto characters myself haha. My plans are to wrap up this Ame mission around chapter 61 or 62 (hopefully my estimation skills are better this time round) and then we'll be back in Konoha. I know you guys can't wait to see Danzou again ;) as always, thank you all for reading! :)


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N:** Hey, how's everyone? Another week survived? I'm only half-dead! :')

* * *

"You mustn't wait until the day after tomorrow. Leave tomorrow night," Kakashi says quietly as he tucks the thick envelope Murakami had given him securely in his uniform. "And change your route. Tell your shinobi escorts that the Akatsuki know everything about your travel plans already."

Her mouth tilts unhappily, her eyes flickering to the courtyard where Hanyu is having a friendly spar with his father. A gust of stray wind from a Fuuton sends leaves skittering under the veranda and tumbling near the edge of the room. "Courtesy of you, no doubt."

"If they're any good," Kakashi continues stolidly, "they'll manage to avoid any ambushes. Prioritise security over speed. If you can, detour into Kaze and enter Kawa along the west."

"Alright," she agrees softly, her eyes still on Hanyu. A dog-sized salamander has barreled into the blonde boy's legs, knocking him over and crawling onto his stomach to sit proudly, her red-spotted head raised high. Breathless laughter shakes Hanyu's shoulders as he pats the summon's head and Hanzou's smiling too as he hauls the slimy amphibian off his son.

Kakashi bows and picks up the tea tray, his face unreadable. "I wish you all the best, Murakami-san." Her surprised gaze follows his retreat.

* * *

There's a constellation in the sky — a constellation of origami throwing stars, hailing down onto the compound only to burst into cyanic flames when they collide with the Paper Burning Barrier jutsu. The chakra barrier that arches over the residence used to be invisible; now, its boundaries are laid bare by the constant fireballs that explode along its curve and sizzle in the rain.

Everyone is in uproar. Hanzou's shinobi swarm the buildings, the courtyards and beyond, the sounds of battle a cacophony ringing through the night air. The largest of Hanzou's summons, Ibuse, is lumbering over the eastern wall with Hanzou on his head. Ally and enemy alike scatter to make way for the giant salamander, anxious to avoid being trampled on. At the sight of the curling wisps of purple poison mist escaping from the corners of Ibuse's wide mouth, those without rebreathers hurry to form hasty Fuutons.

Yahiko has hurried to Konan's side, Meiko to Hanzou's and Sugi has since left with Murakami and Hanyu a day ago. The Konoha ghosts run after Kakashi and Snake, who have slipped past the head housekeeper's efforts to hide everyone safely indoors. Their small forms dart through the moonless night, their chakra flaring and breaking through the chakra suppressing seals placed on them many months ago. Weaving through various flora and ducking past startled shinobi and their occasional attacks, they head straight for the western wall, hoping to avoid the heart of the confrontation between Hanzou and the Akatsuki.

They reach one of the anchor-statues sustaining the Paper Burning Barrier but don't stop to destroy it — if the barrier fails, everyone inside the compound will likely die under Akatsuki's onslaught. These people are the ones who have been their companions for the past months. If they cannot help them, they will not harm them unnecessarily either. That's what Sakumo reasons, anyway. Perhaps, its nothing so sentimental, just a matter discarded as unimportant in the rush to make their escape. They're here to take down ROOT, not to support the rebel faction.

With chakra-sticky hands and feet, Kakashi and Snake scale the low wall and vault through the Barrier, the tuck and roll of their landing smothering the stray sparks that had cascaded onto them from above. They're off and running immediately, mud splashing beneath their sandals. Only when they reach the far edges of the battle do they pause briefly only to loot a few kunai and a katana each from the bodies scattered about, and release their Henge to return to their original stature.

Ash and half-burnt shreds of paper fill the air, combining with Ibuse's poisoned plumes of mist to form a toxic rain of sludge that stains Kakashi's silver hair a dirty grey. It runs down his scar and seeps into the band of torn cloth that he has wrapped around the lower half of his face.

"This is definitely a skin irritant," Rin observes with narrowed eyes.

Hyaku shakes her head disapprovingly. "And an environmental hazard."

"Or something that might kill you," Sakumo offers dryly, grateful for his incorporealness.

"Don't get it into your eyes," Snake advises, tossing over a sakkat before turning to fend off a few Hanzou's Ame-nin who had broken away to pursue them. Several Akatuski members are hot on their heels in turn. Kakashi fits the hat over his head with a grimace and sends several lightning wolves to help Snake. One of Hanzou's smaller salamanders weaves into their midst with surprising nimbleness, leaping on an unsuspecting Akatsuki-nin and spewing a puff of opaque purple smoke into her face.

It's a nasty poison, one that paralyses all the muscles of the body and leaves the victim to suffocate in the absence of an antidote. Perhaps it's a kindness that the summon had delivered an overdose, one that kills the unfortunate kunoichi within seconds.

The moment the pair of Konoha-nin are able to break free, leaving Hanzou's shinobi and the Akatsuki to fight each other, Kakashi and Snake take off in a chakra-enhanced sprint. The electric blue salamander takes several scampering steps after them before stopping on her chubby feet, acknowledging that the pair of ANBU are much faster with a slow blink of her eyes. She turns back to the fighting behind her and begins breathing poison with vigour once more.

 _'What a practical spirit,'_ Sakumo muses with reluctant admiration as the ghosts follow Kakashi and Snake through winding alleyways, away from the chakra-saturated air of battle. _'But unfortunately not quite as endearing as dogs.'_

* * *

 **A/N:** You can probably tell that I didn't know how to end this chapter... haha.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N:** Wow, it feels like ages since I last posted. I wasn't satisfied with my first draft of this chapter, so I had to rewrite it ;)

Warnings: violence, poorly informed medical treatments

* * *

Like a row of crows, the ghosts sit side-by-side on the thick black telephone wire. With mounting incredulity, they watch a Henge-ed Kakashi stuff fish and squid into the ventilation ducts of the building opposite, where the last of the ROOT agents have congregated.

"Has he ever been like this…?" Sakumo asks Rin under his breath, wondering if the stress has finally gotten to Kakashi. They've been hitting ROOT outposts one after the other for weeks already, after all. Each ambush and ensuing fight had brought the ANBU duo to the precipice of chakra exhaustion, and none of them were victories easily won.

Shaking her head, Rin leans in and speaks in the same undertone, as if Kakashi might hear them. "It's not a coping mechanism I've seen."

"Your kid's gone bonkers, Sakumo," Hyaku declares with much too much levity. Rin reaches over and pinches her on the arm, hard.

Kakashi fits the grill back and slides down the metal ladder attached to the side of the brick building, slipping back into the dark maze of alleys below. The entire residential area is too closely packed to use their usual combination of barrier fuinjutsu and exploding tags – there would be an incredible loss of civilian life.

 _"They must have thought of something,"_ Sakumo thinks. _"There's method in his madness."_

* * *

The exposed seafood rots quickly in Ame's muggy weather. Barely two days have passed before the ROOT agents begin to avoid their base in favour of scouting duty. There's a right stink working up in rooms the shinobi have claimed for their own, though none of them have managed to find its source.

Sakumo raises an eyebrow at Hyaku and she just smirks back unrepentantly. "Mad genius," she says, but that could be a jibe just as well as a compliment.

The remaining ROOT agents are expecting an attack, what with all their satellite bases dropping out of contact one by one. They've staked out in their last base in order to confront their attackers once and for all. Even with the success of Kakashi's tactics, there are still six left in the building out of the total of ten, apparently the most diligent and dedicated of the lot.

Hours after midnight and much to early for dawn, Snake twists her fingers through a set of hand seals and activates the set of seals that they have painted around the perimeter of the building. Sakumo knows enough chakra theory to recognise the series of seals even though they aren't a combination he's seen before – the results are startling.

It mixes genjutsu and a little of Hatake clan's older, defunct techniques; a combination that amplifies the olfactory senses until –

The window is thrown open with a slew of curses, the ROOT agent gagging behind his mask.

Kakashi is swinging through the window in a blink, both feet planted into the ROOT agent's throat as he drop kicks the man into the room. Snake is close behind him, her teal hair fluttering over her shoulder as she finishes off the poor fellow with a swipe of her katana.

The ghosts follow in, peering through the darkened room to keep track of the furious multi-sided exchanges of kenjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. Kakashi is a whirlwind of blue lightning, the shriek of Chidori filling the narrow space as he dances around blade and fist. He brings down the ink-jutsu user with a show of brute force, smashing through the jaws of a black-striped tiger to mix blood, bone, and guts with ink.

Busy extracting his arm from the corpse, Kakashi doesn't realise there's a Yamanaka hiding behind the bunk beds until it's too late. Even as the Yamanaka's own body collapses, his arms falling slack by his sides, Kakashi's stolen hand reaches for the katana behind his back and draws it. The blade twists and presses up against the curve of Kakashi's neck, the honed metal edge glinting from ear to chin.

There's a barest tremor along Kakashi's straining arm – the only indication of the struggle within the confines of his skull. "Hound!" shouts Snake, pushing back the shinobi who are converging upon him like sharks that have smelt blood in water. Hyaku snaps a senbon out of the air with a seal and Rin chops mercilessly at the neck of the nin who threw it, her stiffened fingers coated with chakra.

Just a split second after Kakashi wrestles back dominance over his mind, his Sharingan spinning wildly from reverse-hypnotising himself, Sakumo's Raiton fries the Yamanaka's brain. The justu snaps like an overstretched rubber-band and Kakashi arm falls back to his side nervelessly, the tip of his blade scoring the ground. Panting, Kakashi forces his body back into motion, jerking out of a kunai's trajectory. "Sorry," he grunts.

"Don't lose focus!" Snake barks, taking down another nin with a vicious elbow to the head.

Scowling, Kakashi whips into action again, concentration creasing his forehead. When he finishes the Yamanaka off, not knowing that the man is dead already, the smell of gore on him is almost overpowering.

The palpitation of Sakumo's heart demands that he reach out anyway, just to confirm that Kakashi is really still here. He clenches his fists instead, settling for the sight of Kakashi's sure punches, kicks, and blocks, and the confident agility of his fingers as they shape jutsu after jutsu.

Just as the last of the original six falls, the other four arrive, blowing right through the windows with exploding tags. A smoke bomb releases a thick black smog, a cover that they use to advance on Kakashi and Snake. Their familiarity with the space gives them an upper hand while fighting blind, but Kakashi's nose is good enough to even the odds again. Filtering out the sharp chemical tang of the explosion and the pervasive reek of blood and rotten seafood is difficult, but Kakashi picks out the positions of the four after a long inhale.

The two ANBU have backed up against each other the moment they sensed the ROOT agents approaching, slipping into a well-practiced formation. Kakashi draws his katana and goes on the defensive, warding off their attacks while Snake crouches down and runs through a rapid series of seals. A Fuuton: Daitoppa tears through the room a moment later, strong enough to clear away the smoke and send one of the ROOT agents smashing into the far wall.

The visual clarity won't last long; smoke will swirl about the confined space and eventually spread into an even haze again. Still, it's enough time for one last Chidori that sizzles and pops when it cuts through armour like it isn't even there. Two more down.

"I'll get that one," Snake murmurs before heading for the shinobi who had retreated into the smoke, her form shifting as she borrows the shape of one of the men Kakashi had killed.

Kakashi nods once, his Sharingan eye squeezed tightly shut and nearly staggering with chakra exhaustion.

"We struck gold," Snake says when she comes back dragging a tied-up body. Everyone slumps in relief at the sight. Kakashi's eyes curve into a familiar smile even as he sits down heavily and relaxes into a slouch. There's a nasty cut across Snake's arm that's bleeding freely, but she's sporting a cheshire-cat grin. "It's Otsu."

With an eye heavy-lidded with fatigue, Kakashi peers at the unmasked man. "Huh. Kinda looks like him." He gestures at Snake's wound with a limp hand. "Need help?"

"Nah," Snake says, blowing a Katon across her katana and pressing the heated metal against her wound.

"That's not how you do it!" Rin screeches in full-fledged med-nin affront and Hyaku grabs her flailing arms, laughing.

"It's not?" Sakumo mutters, recalling all the war-time "emergency treatments" he and his team had come up with during the Second Shinobi World War.

Rin stares at him in horror. "NO. Infection, Sakumo-san. Infection."

To his defense, they'd popped enough antibiotics afterwards to kill a horse and Snake looks set to do the same. "Heh," he says sheepishly.

"Who teaches these medical guidelines?" Rin mutters, pacing agitatedly. Sakumo can almost see the reform plan that's taking shape behind her eyes and he can't help but chuckle. "This isn't how you use antibiotics! Dosage, dosage!"

"Maa, Snake-taichou. You have some alcohol?" Kakashi gestures at the cut on his calf.

Rin's angry "no!" resounds through the dawn.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm no medical expert, but pouring alcohol onto an open wound apparently damages cells instead. Hm. Have a good week everyone! :)


	57. Chapter 57

A hollow boom, not unlike thunder, resounds through the air, making the earth tremble and the buildings shake. Kakashi darts to the window and Snake looks over her shoulder curiously, her hands continuing to tighten the wires that bound Otsu's hands and fingers tightly. He won't be escaping anytime soon, securely tied as he is to a chair.

"There's a huge cloud of dust," Kakashi mutters, squinting at the skyline through the rain-speckled glass.

The smoke bomb from their fight earlier has settled, leaving a fine layer of powder on every possible surface. The corpses are lined up in the far corner of the room, each covered with thin blankets taken from the bunk beds. In the en suite, a drenched pile of ash sits on the scorched shower tiles, the only evidence of the documents that Kakashi has already memorised sans overtaxed Sharingan.

"Are their pets fighting again?"

Kakashi snorts. "Maybe." Somehow, the Akatsuki has managed to summon a variety of humongous creatures to match Hanzou's salamander. From the ROOT outpost's elevated vantage point, they can often been seen clashing in the distance, just outside the confines of the city. The tremor this time is greater than any they've experienced before though, and Sakumo wonders what arcane jutsu the Akatsuki have utilised this time. With the Rinnegan in their possession, who knows what feats they are capable of?

Turning back to Snake, Kakashi gestures at their slumped prisoner with a jerk of his chin. "Are you sure you didn't kill him?"

She pats Otsu's stubbled cheek almost fondly, a crooked smile on her face. "Of course not." She had chosen another form again, this time with black-violet hair and round, hazel eyes. Having long since stopped questioning her choices, Kakashi merely passes her several senbon so she can twist her tresses up into a bun.

"Ready when you are," the white-haired jounin says, already pushing up hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan.

Snake gives a curt nod back. "Take your time."

Kakashi flashes her an eye-smile before walking over to stand before Otsu, cupping his face with both hands and carefully lifting up Otsu's eyelids with his thumbs. He stares into the dark irises, Sharingan whirling, and goes completely still. He's under.

Ten minutes later, he pulls back, wincing as he closes his doujutsu eye again. "I need Inoichi. The Sharingan can only do so much."

"You got blocked again?" Snake asks in consternation. "So even his subconsciousness is shielded..."

"Unfortunately, mind-breaking is the province of Yamanakas. I can only manipulate his subconsciousness by genjutsu. He must willingly show me what he knows, but every time I get near to something suspicious, he realises even unconscious as he is." Pressing his fingers against Otsu's slack jaw to open his mouth, Kakashi peers into it. "It's that seal again. Right on his tongue."

Sighing, Snake cards her fingers through her hair. "So we'll need a Yamanaka _and_ a fuinjutsu expert."

"Aren't you a fuinjutsu expert?"

"Ha! I'm flattered, but if that seal is anything like the one our last interviewee had, it'll take me at least a week."

"Hmm..." Hyaku says, her eyes bright and her fingers twitching.

Rin catches her wrist. "Don't mess with it," she warns. Hyaku subsides, not daring to contradict Rin when she has just come out of medical rant mode.

"I'll question him. He might be more amenable to talking to me since we have a history," Snake suggests, watching Otsu slowly resurface into consciousness. Kakashi raises an eyebrow but Snake just smirks. "Henge yourself."

When Otsu's eyes slit open, his dark irises fix upon Snake immediately. His face remains impassive and his posture slack, but the minute narrowing of his eyes betrays him. "Hinoto."

"Not anymore, now," she corrects with a sharp-toothed smile. Kakashi observes silently, filing away every piece of information behind attentive grey eyes.

"Ah, silly me. How could I forget how you betrayed all of us." Otsu's voice is flat.

At the dangerous look in his eye, Snake only steps closer, forcing him to crane his head to look at her. Her hands come to rest on on either side of the chair's back, bracketing him in with her arms. "No. It's Danzou who has betrayed _us_. After all these years, have you not realised?"

The lines bracketing his mouth deepen in a grimace. "You just want me to tell you what you need." His eyes flicker to Kakashi. "I felt your boy poking around in my mind, earlier." The corner of Otsu's mouth lifts slightly, but his eyes are dead. "You should have chosen a sweet dream instead of a nightmare, _gaki_. Nightmares only last for the night, but beautiful things can drive people mad."

Kakashi stares back, seemingly apathetic. "Very philosophical of you," he drawls.

The twitch under Otsu's eye makes Snake chuckle. "This is the end of the road, Otsu dear. I can't have you running back to Danzou anymore."

"You wish to protect your protégé," Otsu concludes stonily, his assessing gaze still trained on Kakashi. "Are you prepared to go so far?"

"I don't do things by halves. Now, you should know what that means..." Snake stabs a senbon into a pressure point at Otsu's thigh and the man's jerks, his face tensing in mute agony. After the first sharp inhale, he exhales a shaky but measured breath, his chest falling slowly.

"It won't work," he murmurs, glaring at Snake. "The seal... It only breaks upon Danzou-sama's death. If I say anything incriminating, it'll paralyse me. I'm sure you've tried all you can with the other ROOT agents you've captured." They don't deny it. Snake pulls the bloodied senbon out and Otsu's eyes slide half-shut, his brows drawn tight. "It's your fault, you know," he chuckles breathlessly, peering at Snake with a look of faint amusement. "Danzou-sama came up with this seal because you spilled everything to your dear Hatake-taichou."

Both Sakumo and Kakashi stiffen at the mention of their surname. _'Yoriko!'_

"Maa, it couldn't be helped," Snake says blithely. "She was such a good listener." She smiles widely as she plucks a kunai from her thigh holster. "I'm afraid I'm not as patient as she was. There are other ways for you to answer other than verbally. C'mon, for old time's sake?"

Otsu just looks at her, his face a mask of impassivity. "You speak as if we were friends."

"Even I know that you're too emotionally constipated for that." Twirling her kunai by it's ring-pommel, Snake straightens once more. "So here's how it goes. I'll beat you to pulp, you'll threaten to run to Danzou and tell on me, I'll break another finger or two, and you'll give in. How nostalgic, yes?"

To Sakumo's surprise, Otsu actually smiles at that. It's barely a twitch of his lips, but there's a glint in his eyes that speaks of genuine mirth. "That's hardly accurate, Hinoto." His smile grows into a grin, a strange grin that sits on his face like a foreign, uncomfortable thing. "But I'll let you win this time. Three questions."

 _"This whole thing is their odd way of saying goodbye,"_ Sakumo muses with an odd feeling of melacholy. _"From the very start, he hadn't been antagonistic."_ They had both been in ROOT. One had gotten away; one hadn't. And now the circumstances had brought them back together in the worst, but only, way.

Snake starts to question him in a vague, fanciful way, hoping that that will avoid triggering the seal.

"Do you think snakes can adopt children?" A nod.

"That hat — do you think it clashes with yellow hair?" Another nod.

"What about red hair?" A pause, then a slow nod.

"One more," Kakashi pipes up saying. Sighing, Otsu grunts "fine". "Are leaves part of a salamander's diet?" A shake of the head.

"No more questions, now." Otsu narrows his eyes at both Snake and Kakashi. "Hinoto, I don't want to see your ugly mug anytime soon."

Snake's expression softens into something genuine and sad. "As if I'd want to see you either."

She forms the handseals for a Raiton.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone! :) As the Ame arc draws to a close, I have an important question to ask you all!

Should Naruto be able to see ghosts? Theory wise, it'll be possible because of the bit of Minato's chakra left in Naruto. This will have implications on Ghost's plot, e.g. Naruto will get a bit more screen-time and there'll be moments of kid-fic style fluff. But overall, Ghost will remain an angsty Kakashi-centric story and Kakashi won't realise Naruto's ability until he's like, 20.

Tell me what you think! If you don't have an account here, you can still leave a guest review. And if you have an ff net account, you can also vote at the poll I've set up on my profile!

I'd love to hear from you all :D

* * *

Random unimportant stuff:

Remember what I said in Ch46 about 甲乙丙丁...etc being the way Danzou names his ROOT agents? So apparently he uses the kunyomi reading for the characters, but I messed up with google translate and used onyomi for 乙 (Otsu's name) instead. If I had followed the kunyomi reading, he should have been Kinoto instead. Haha. Anyway, not changing anything.

For Snake, Otsu refers to her as 丁 (Hinoto).

And after doing more research, I realised that 甲乙丙丁...etc are also used in the "sexagenary cycle" which is a traditional Chinese method of recording days and years.


	58. Chapter 58

The smell of burning flesh clings to their clothes even after Kakashi and Snake leave the mass grave that they had opened up for the ROOT agents with a Doton. Transporting the corpses all the way to the sparse forest at the edge of the city had been time consuming work, but these people were Konoha-nin after all.

The mission is complete now, and both Kakashi and Snake are visibly eager at the prospect of going home. They drop by a bar, one that Konan had pointed out as one of the Akatsuki's contact points. The grizzled barkeeper takes their orders - sake for Snake and warm milk for a sulking Kakashi - and shows them their room upstairs. Their orders double as a code which will alert Konan of their presence. They'll make one last contact with the Akatsuki before leaving, just to wrap things up.

Kakashi has been counting down to Kushina's due date, a silly little smile hidden behind his mask when he informs Snake that the big day is in just one week. Hyaku and Rin are all squeals and giggles (or at least Rin is, at any rate) but all Sakumo can think about is how _utterly terrifying_ it had been when Yoriko gave birth. The realisation that birth wasn't an abstract concept - with motherly halos, sparkles, and peacefully sleeping bundles of joy - had hit him hard. The idea of Yoriko pushing a tiny human being out of her had been enough to make him feel faint, much less seeing it happen, albeit behind the sheet draped over her lower body. She had been lovely throughout it all — only threatening her dear husband's life thrice and his manhood once, from what he could decipher from her increasingly panicked mutters.

It had all turned out well though, resulting in one slightly bloody, squalling baby. The motherly halo kicked in after Yoriko had a good nap, but Kakashi was one cranky infant.

He's grinning like a loon, Sakumo realises, turning to hide from Rin's and Hyaku's twin smirks and clearing his throat awkwardly.

After the earthquake-inducing explosion had occurred, the war between Hanzou and the Akatsuki had suddenly cooled. No more low, eerie howls in the distance, no more shinobi scrambling through the street at midnight. If it's an armistice, it's a much needed gasp of peace.

Konan knocks on the door of their room, polite as can be, three days after they had first arrived. Her golden eyes are like shards of ice, the little warmth that had thawed in her these months frozen solid again. Snake ushers her in and Kakashi offers to take her rain-damp cloak, but she hovers by the doorway, paper peeling from the edges of her sleeves. Yahiko greets the Konoha ghosts with a somber smile, looking far older than he should be.

"I take it that you're done here?" Konan asks. She looks battle-worn.

"Yes, ROOT is gone, thanks to your help. We'll be leaving soon." Observing Konan's darkening expression, Snake ventures a question. "Is something wrong?"

Weariness deepens the faint lines under Konan's eyes. "I have been appealing to your Hokage for military aid for weeks. I thought we were allies of Konoha but he has refused us again and again."

The ANBU's eyes widen. "You must understand," Snake says, her tone cajoling, "that it is difficult for the Hokage to mobilise shinobi like this. How would he be able to explain to the people why we are involving ourselves in another war?"

A laugh escapes the blue-haired woman, short and bitter. "As if that has ever stopped Konoha from waging war before! I have been naïve, I admit. I thought having one of Jiraiya-sensei's students as Hokage would make things different, but this is just another proxy war you're fighting on our land, isn't it? It's just as much Danzou versus Namikaze as it is Hanzou versus the Akatsuki. You're using us," she accuses. Just as her work has left its mark in Ame history, the years of violence have also left their mark on her. "Once we help you solve your ROOT problem, you don't even care if we live or die, don't you?" She bares her teeth in a not-smile, as if reveling in the ANBU's speechlessness. "I know that you worked with Murakami."

Sakumo's whips around to Yahiko, who looks pained. "Sorry," the youth sighs. "They're gone. We tracked them down."

The idea that Sugi must have seen both her daughter and her grandson die... Sakumo swallows against the lump in his throat, shaken despite knowing that the risks had always been high.

Kakashi must have deduced the same. Still, he looks at Konan, stone-faced. "We did what was necessary to get rid of ROOT. This operation benefited the Akatsuki just as much as it did us. Is that not enough?"

"Is it?" Konan shoots back. The lines in her cloak are deepening, its edges fraying into loosening sheets of paper. "Konoha is afraid of Ame. Not just of Hanzou, but the Akatsuki as well since Jiraiya-sensei must have spoken of the Rinnegan and its powers. That's why you're playing us against each other, keeping Ame divided and weak. If Konoha had really wanted to help us end the war, you would have been sent to assassinate Hanzou. Yet you kept him alive and did only enough to secure information against Danzou!"

"You know it's not so simple, Konan-san! Hanzou was—" Kakashi protests, frustration marring his brow.

Konan holds up a hand, cutting him off. "I don't care." Her volume had dropped again, her agitation clearing momentarily. "I was foolish to believe that Konoha wouldn't act selfishly just because we happen to call Jiraiya "sensei". Like you said, you have gotten rid of ROOT's operations here. Good. Now get out of Ame and tell your Hokage that any other Konoha-nin that steps foot on our land again will most certainly die."

"If that is what you wish," Snake says carefully.

Kakashi glances at Snake briefly. "We will ask the Hokage again about reinforcements for the Akatsuki—"

"There will be no need for that," Konan interrupts bluntly. "We will figure out a way ourselves." She turns to go, stiff-backed and regal, her cloak snapping around her boots.

Perhaps the signs have always been there — the little fault-lines that they'd thought were inconsequential. It seems that Konan and the Akatsuki had placed much higher hopes on Konoha's interference than Minato had anticipated, and they had expected more than Minato could give. The Konoha Council certainly won't indulge the Akatsuki like Jiraiya does.

"Oh," Konan says, reaching into her pocket to withdraw a slightly crumpled letter. "One last missive for you."

As Snake takes it, Yahiko says goodbye the ghosts, full of apologies for the unfortunate way things have ended. "You all are still welcome to visit Ame, you know?" he assures, putting on an air of cheer. "Ex-Akatsuki leader's prerogative."

"Of course," Rin says, giving his arm a friendly squeeze. Hyaku tries to pinch Yahiko's cheek but he ducks away, growling, and Sakumo gives him a faint smile as he hurries after Konan.

When their attention turns back to the two ANBU crowded around the letter, they find all colour drained from the pair's faces. The coded message is slowly crumpling under Snake's grip.

"What is it?" Rin exclaims, immediately knowing that something has gone terribly wrong. Sakumo and Hyaku are already peering over the ANBU's shoulders, rapidly decoding the letter with sinking hearts.

"They can't be..." Kakashi whispers, anguish straining his voice. His trembling hand hovers over the hastily-formed lines of black ink, his eyes darting rapidly from character to character. "Not like that... Not now..."

Sakumo has just finished reading the letter when Snake stuffs it into her pocket and reaches for Kakashi, pulling his shaking form into her arms and holding him tightly. He stays tense and frozen for a moment before slumping against her, gulping for air like he's drowning.

"What does it say?" Rin's eyes are wide with panic now, her hand clasped tightly around Sakumo's wrist. "Sakumo-san?"

He feels strangely removed from himself when he looks down and meets her anxious stare. _"Shock,"_ the shinobi part of his mind supplies automatically.

"I'm sorry, Rin," he murmurs, his voice sounding hollow to his own ears. "Minato and Kushina have passed."

* * *

 **A/N:** Ba dum tss~

Jinchuuriki pregnancies are ten months, but I've sped it up a little. Just to warn you guys again, this fic has diverged from the canon timeline and will continue to diverge, although you can also loosely call it an alternative interpretation of canon. You'll see what I mean :) In the following chapters, we'll wrap up with Ame, deal with the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, then move on to an extended ROOT arc :D

I probably won't be able to post again this week, so happy Lunar New Year to everyone who celebrates it! :)


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait guys! There's a flu bug going around and I'm falling sick, gah. Anyway, I was writing and writing and writing to make sure everything fits together, but I wasn't satisfied with this chapter :( But things could drag on forever this way so I thought it'd be better just to post... The next few updates should come out faster because I have drafted the next few chapters already, yay! :) I'm really excited we're back in Konoha.

* * *

Once Kakashi's shaking subsides, the two ANBU barely take any time to pack and Henge into Ame shinobi before they're sprinting through streets and across waters, heading straight for the border. They outrun Ame's rainstorms with the wind in their hair and lightning on their heels, and the landscape changes all around them to canopied forests and sun-dappled earth. The thick branches that begin to criss-cross their path make easy footholds, and they take to familiar heights with ease.

When Konoha's border patrol falls into a run besides them, they drop their Henges and flare their chakra to identify themselves. But their footsteps refuse to slow, and about half a mile later the border patrol drops away, satisfied with whatever they've found. When Sakumo looks back at Kakashi and Rin, he finds the same sharp edges of grief painted on their faces. It is only their determination to return and find out what has happened that keeps them going. The letter had said precious little — only that inconceivable news and an order to return immediately, mission completed or not.

They stop to rest for a mere two hours at night before they are on their way again, sleepless hope and denial spurring them on even as logic drags them deeper into despair. Yet, before they confirm everything with their own eyes, everything hangs in balance. Reality itself is suspended on the delicate thread of doubt. Minato and Kushina might be dead, but they might also be alive.

A weaker person might have been tempted to turn and run at this point. Why cut the last silken strand of hope?

Konoha comes into sight within a day and a half. The towering gates are still intact, its massive double doors closed against the afternoon sun, but there is a lingering heaviness in the air. It's the throat-stinging scent of ash and fire and the foreign taste of ancient chakra, writhing in knots of malice, hatred, and death.

The guard at the side gate waves them through the side-door with a somber "welcome home", and—

The Kyuubi's path of destruction cuts from one end of the village to the other, carving a deep trench-like gouge across the land. It slashes from village centre to the mountain range on the other side. Pockets of destruction dot either side of the Kyuubi's path — evidence of a vicious struggle as the village tried to herd the demon-fox away. Everything from houses to shops have been trampled into the ground. The Academy's familiar red roof is a conspicuous absence from the skyline, and one wing of the hospital has been pulverised.

Sakumo has never seen Konoha lain so low. The devastation that overcomes him is silently mirrored on Rin's and Hyaku's faces, rooting all three of them to the spot.

"Try not to run across the roofs," the guard advises quietly, snapping the new arrivals out of their stupor. "They haven't gotten around to checking structural integrity yet."

Nodding, they head towards the Hokage tower, a beacon of strength that has thankfully survived intact. Their footsteps are weighed down by the palpable sense of loss in the air when they pass the many dressed in somber colours, either plain black or the dark navy of the shinobi uniform. A pervasive silence blankets them all, broken only by the rare holler of instructions as civilians and shinobi alike work together, clearing rubble and recovering whoever or whatever might be trapped underneath.

According to the date of the letter, it has been a week since the attack. The injured have been brought to the hospital and the dead placed in the morgue, but most are still at loose ends. The newly homeless, the orphaned, the widows and widowers... they end up wandering the streets, lost.

Kakashi bites his thumb, piercing skin to make blood well. His faithful ninken appear in eight puffs of smoke at his Kuchiyose. They all immediately tense and turn to Kakashi as one, their eyes full of alarm and their noses lifted to the air. Kakashi looks at them with his single eye shadowed with sorrow. "Check on Gai and the others," he commands softly. "Then go help anyone you can."

"You got it Boss," Pakkun says gruffly, and the pack nods reassuringly at their master before scattering.

Kakashi watches them run off before slipping his hands into his pockets, the slope of his shoulders listless and his gaze downcast. In a whisper so soft Sakumo can barely hear, he states the inevitable conclusion that all of them have been afraid to give voice to. "Minato-sensei and Kushina-san are really gone, aren't they?" Snake regards him with mute sympathy.

A soft sound escapes Rin as she stares down the street they have stopped on, her eyes lingering on the Kyuubi's trail of destruction on the street parallel. "It ends at Minato-sensei's safehouse," she observes, her voice cracking like her heart is surely also. With a sigh, Sakumo wraps an arm across her shoulders and pulls her close, bumping her side against his. Rin reaches up and clutches at his hand, weaving her fingers through his and holding on tight. Too tight, perhaps, as if she's afraid he might also leave her.

Hyaku too, has look in her eyes that speaks of old pain when she takes in Konoha's wounds. Sakumo can only imagine what she must be seeing. She had lived and died during the destruction of Uzushio, after all. The shinobi who have died this time round bear the Uzushio spiral on their backs too.

In the end, words of condolence aren't something Snake offers. "Let's not keep Sandaime-sama waiting," she says instead. It might have been harsh if not for the softness of her tone, but regardless, it is a keen reminder that the Yondaime is no more. A sheen of tears glistens in Kakashi's eyes when he lifts his gaze to the sky, but he nods and picks up his feet once more.

For better or for worse, all of them have always been dutiful to a fault.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Kakashi."

Hiruzen sounds old. There are new strands of silver in hair and the black of his mourning clothes reflect the dull heartache in his eyes. By his side, Kagami looks just as burdened. When he confirmed that Minato hasn't become a ghost due to the Shiki Fuujin, not one vestige of his usual liveliness was present.

"I understand," Kakashi says stoically. His gaze is fixed on the desolate view the half-shuttered window provides. "Konoha is everything to Minato-sensei and Kushina-san."

No-one misses the young ANBU's slip in tense. "Why don't you go see them," the Sandaime suggests gently, and Rin bites her lip hard, seeming torn between anticipation and dread. "Snake can report for both of you."

Kakashi looks conflicted but relaxes a bit at Snake's nod. "Thank you for your consideration, Sandaime-sama," Kakashi murmurs with a bow. "May I ask, where is Naruto?"

The old Hokage's expression lifts a fraction. "He's at Border Outpost 7, the 3rd floor. The seal is still very unstable, so we cannot risk placing him in the hospital. But there is a nurse there watching over him, along with Rabbit and Lynx. Feel free to visit, but don't let anyone outside of ANBU know."

"Thank you, Sandaime-sama."

'A baby jinchuuriki,' Sakumo muses with faint incredulity as he regards Konoha's maimed visage through the window. How can the maelstrom of malice that tore apart Konoha so easily fit inside an infant, one prematurely born at that?

* * *

 **A/N:** To those who read this chapter when I first posted, sorry for all the grammatical errors argh :( I hope I've edited them all out.


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N:** To write this chapter I googled everything from "what do you call the thing you put corpses in a morgue" to "eggplant vegetable?". (It's a fruit, haha!)

* * *

The short-haired woman in charge of the morgue leads Kakashi deeper into the complex, leaving behind the busy front desk and heading towards the highly secured cold chambers at the back. It's quieter here, the hubbub caused by the many mourners becoming muted as they make their way through long, white corridors.

"We're here," the woman says when they reach a nondescript white door that seems no different from the rest that they've passed. She fits her key into the lock and pushes the heavy metal door open. Cold air assaults them along with a heavy chemical scent.

The cold chambers reach from floor to ceiling, composed of square meter-sized cubicles. She consults her clipboard and makes her way to the corner of the room, bending at the waist to identify the appropriate cubicles.

"Do you not know where they are?" Kakashi asks with a frown.

She looks over her shoulder calmly. "Only you have been allowed to visit, Hatake-san, because the cremation will be carried out before the funeral."

They must have been badly injured.

Kakashi falls silent, his shoulders tight with tension as she unlocks the cubicles with a series of hand seals and pulls the drawers out halfway. The mechanism hisses as the covered bodies are revealed, one beside the other in adjoining cubicles. She does another series of hand seals which wrap her hands with a blue glow before reaching down folding back the linen shrouds.

Sakumo doesn't know what he was expecting, but it is at once better and worse.

It must have been a brutal battle, but save for the occasional scratch and the almost translucent paleness of their skin, they look whole and peaceful, as if they had simply closed their eyes after a grueling day. Any blood, sweat, or tears have been wiped away, and their hair has been arranged neatly. Kushina's hairclip is in the same place it always is.

But at the same time, it's all wrong. Minato always had an expressive face; a sunny smile to go with his sunshine hair despite the aura of power that clings to him. Kushina was a boisterous woman, loud and tactile, as ready to throw a punch as she would hug someone breathless.

Now, what had made Minato Minato and Kushina Kushina has simply... left them, leaving behind only silence and stillness.

And with the Shiki Fuujin, there isn't even the comfort of knowing that Minato is in the Pure Land.

Rin sits down by Kushina's waist, looking completely shattered as she glances between her sensei and his wife. Large globules of tears slip past her lashes with every blink, and when Sakumo smooths her hair in a consoling gesture, she leans into his touch with a shuddering exhale.

"If you need anything," the morgue worker says, "I'll be in the office right across." The sympathetic look she gives Kakashi goes unnoticed. "Please refrain from touching their bodies directly, or it'll disrupt the temperature maintenance jutsus we've placed over them."

Nodding jerkily, Kakashi steps closer to Minato's and Kushina's bodies, his gaze never leaving their faces. The tenseness of his jaw is evident even behind his mask. But it is only when the door closes and he is left alone that Kakashi finally allows himself to show weakness. Bracing a shaking arm against the cold metal wall of cubicles, he slumps against it as his fingers wind into his hair, clutching pale strands in a too-tight grip.

There are no howls of grief, no wails of sorrow. Just the minute tremble of Kakashi's hunched shoulders.

Sakumo bites the inside of his cheek. 'My poor children.' Watching them try so hard to hold themselves together, to stay composed and brave even when they're falling apart at the seams... oh, how he wishes he can bear their pain for them instead.

"Who did this to you?" Kakashi whispers, his countenance torn with anger and grief both. The hardness of his voice belies the brokenness written in his posture.

Hiruzen had told them plainly that the Kyuubi's escape wasn't because of Kushina's pregnancy. Minato and Kushina had been attacked in their home by someone pretending to be one of Minato's guard. The shock had caused a Kushina to go into labour early, and somehow, the intruder had been able to extract the Kyuubi from her. And against all odds, he had been able to control the tailed-beast. Few had witnessed the battle between Minato and the intruder, but there was evidence of Mokuton no jutsu sprouting all over the remains of the couple's house.

Destroyed. Gone. Even now, Sakumo can scarcely believe these words describe the vibrant couple. And their son, what will happen to their son?

"Why did you have to be the Hokage?" Kakashi's breath hitches with overflowing emotion and he has his hands pressed up against his face, muffling the soft sobs wracking his frame. The quaver in his voice feels like a lance through Sakumo's chest, and he longs to hold Kakashi like he had once been able to. His son collapses onto his knees, hands clamped over the edge of Kushina's pallet and face wet with tears. "Why did you have to be the jinchuuriki?"

* * *

They stay there for hours upon hours, until they've lost track of time in this cold, lifeless room. Kakashi slides the drawers back with a reluctant sense of finality, but not before using his Sharingan to memorise every detail of their faces. He doesn't leave, however, but stays huddled on the floor with his back against Minato's and Kushina's stainless steel cubicles, his unfocused gaze on the rows of opposite. Sakumo and Rin keep vigil with him.

Night has fallen by the time someone comes to check up on him. It's Snake, showered and changed into her own ANBU uniform instead of the clothes they had taken off dead ROOT agents. There's plastic bag of takeout dangling from her fingers. "Come on, Kakashi."

With red-rimmed eyes and a flashing Sharingan, Kakashi glares. "Go away."

With her mask secured over her face again, she seems like a different person than all her other Henges. "You need to wash up and rest. We've been awake for more than 24 hours."

"I can take care of myself."

"Evidently."

"Go away!" Kakashi snarls.

"I'm not going to ask again," Snake says, her tone abruptly turning sharp. "Stop throwing a tantrum and get up."

Closing his eyes, Kakashi turns his head and ignores her. When Snake opens the door, Sakumo thought she was going to leave, but she just sets the takeout outside and closes the solid metal door with a bang. A surprised yelp escapes Kakashi when she grabs him by the shoulder strap of his armour and drags him to his feet.

"Just leave him alone!" Rin shrieks when Snake kicks him against the door with a solid clank of metal against metal. With a growl at the back of his throat, Sakumo reaches for his tanto on instinct.

Groaning, Kakashi slides onto the floor with his hands braced against the wall, his breath having been knocked out of him. Rin is by his side in an instant, checking him over for injury. Despite a mounting sense of trepidation, Sakumo forces himself to relax. His head spins with doubt as to whether Snake's particular brand of therapy will do more harm than good.

"If you hadn't requested me for that mission, I could have been there for Minato-sensei and Kushina-san," Kakashi hisses, so full of venom that Rin looks taken aback.

"Your ego's getting blown out of proportion," Snake retorts with equal causticity, unmoved by Kakashi's accusations. "If Yondaime-sama and his jinchuuriki wife couldn't save themselves, what makes you think you can? If you hadn't been out of the village, you'd probably be dead."

"I'll be happier," Kakashi snaps, his gaze sliding almost longingly towards Minato's and Kushina's bodies. Sakumo chokes on his breath.

The muted echo of the slap is almost deafening in the confined space. Kakashi's harsh breathing stutters when Snake grabs him by the armour again, but he doesn't meet her furious glare. "How dare you," she says in a low growl. She throws her other arm back, pointing accusingly at the wall of cold chambers. "In front of them."

Kakashi flinches, a helpless noise caught in his throat, and a single tear slips off pale lashes to drip onto the scratched linoleum floor.

A boneless exhaustion seems to overcome Kakashi when Snake slowly unwinds her white-knuckled hold from his armour, leaving him crumpled against the door. They stay like that for a long while, with Snake standing rigidly over Kakashi with her arms crossed, while Kakashi struggles to put himself back together behind paper-thin eyelids. Sakumo loses count of the number of times Kakashi's chest rises and falls - barely moving, as if he's on the verge of crumbling into dust - but eventually, his right eye cracks open once more. The wild look that had been in his eyes has retreated.

He peers up at Snake tiredly. "I freaking hate tempura," he croaks.

The tense line of Snake's shoulders eases. "The tempura is for me, you stupid picky eater. I got you your disgusting purple vegetable."

The skin around Kakashi's eyes crinkles faintly, and a smile makes its way onto Rin's face, tentative and small.

And Sakumo's heart settles back into place.


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N:** A bit of fluff when Kakashi's ninken try to distract him :)

* * *

After saying farewell to Minato and Kushina for one final time, Kakashi and Snake head back to Kakashi's apartment.

With how often Kakashi stays in ANBU nowadays, Sakumo has almost forgotten how tiny this place is. The front door opens straight into the bedroom, and the living room is nothing but some empty space between Kakashi's desk and the open kitchen. A bookshelf stands to the left side of the bed together with the cabinet, and the toilet is tucked away behind a dividing wall.

Wrinkling his nose at the stale air, Kakashi pushes open the creaking window above the bed and ties back the curtains. "Are your ninken coming back?" Snake asks as she slips her mask off and clips it to her belt.

"Speaking of the devil..." Kakashi mutters, and a moment later eight furry bullets come leaping through the window, claws skittering wildly over the wooden flooring. Bisuke, who has always liked Snake best, leaps straight into her arms. His weight makes her stumble back a step, but she grins when he licks her cheek. "Are you all birds or dogs?" Kakashi grumbles as he snatches up a towel and a spare set of his uniform.

Everyone who has a tail wags it at Kakashi's recovered snark. "Your friends are all alright, Boss," Pakkun reports succinctly. Tension leeches out of Kakashi and the teen gives Pakkun a grateful nod. With a toothy grin, Shiba fetches a pair of boxers from the cabinet and tosses it at Kakashi, who snatches it out of the air with a renewed scowl.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kakashi says to Snake. "There's tea in the kitchen cabinet if you want some."

"And yum-yum's in there too," Akino pipes up saying. His sunglasses glint conspiratorially. At the ninken's seriousness, Sakumo can't help but smile.

""Yum-yum"?" Snake parrots. Kakashi groans loudly and narrows his eyes in warning at the ninken sprawled all over the floor. The bathroom door slams behind the silver-haired jounin and Guruko shakes his head.

"That's what Kakashi calls canned chunky chicken," Uhei bursts out saying not a moment later, his lips turn up at the corners to reveal a little teeth.

"I was four!" comes the muffled yell through the bathroom door, making Rin grin a little as well. "You were all weepy puppies!"

Turning up his nose at Kakashi's protests, Pakkun leads Snake to the cabinet and waits until she gets out the canned treats obligingly. "He would sing a song too, to get us to come for dinner," Pakkun reveals as a reward for Snake's cooperation. Bull snorts loudly at that and Urushi howls like a hyena.

"Really?" Rin asks with amusement and Sakumo nods, chuckling. To be fair, it was Sakumo who had started puppy-talking in order to help Kakashi's new pack of baby ninken feel more at home after being summoned to a foreign environment. Kakashi had copied him, and Sakumo had barely resisted the urge to pinch Kakashi's cheeks and squeal over his son like those ladies in the market.

Kakashi comes out of the toilet with his hair sticking in all directions and mask barely covering the flush in his cheeks. "I thought you guys were supposed to be on my side," he gripes indignantly. The only response his ninken deign to give him is absent-minded tail wagging. They are all too busy gobbling down the food Snake had set out for them on plates.

From her seat at his desk, Snake hands Kakashi his bento with a smirk. "Eat up."

Making an expression of exaggerated shock, Kakashi takes the proffered food. "Senpai paid for this? The planets have aligned!" She rolls her eyes and tries to nail him with the chopsticks, only to have them snatched out of the air. Kakashi perches himself on the edge of his bed and snaps the chopsticks apart nonchalantly. "Ittadakimasu."

They eat in silence after that, letting the breeze filtering through the window cool them. As one of the older developments, Kakashi's apartment is sufficiently far away from Minato's house that the Kyuubi's destruction had not reached the area. The block opposite shields the village centre from view, leaving them with a false sense of normalcy.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Kakashi asks as he picks off the last grain of rice. At Snake's raised eyebrow, he reaches out with his chakra and activates the privacy wards.

"I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow — a meeting with the daimyo of Cha no Kuni as Yondaime-sama."

Kakashi's expression flickers but he buries his emotions quickly. "How long?"

"A few weeks should be more than enough. It's just a meeting about trade, but Sandaime-sama doesn't want anyone to know about Konoha's situation. That's why there are so few shinobi around — we lost about 15% of our fighting strength due to the Kyuubi attack, not to mention civilian casualties, so everyone is overloaded with missions in order to maintain a semblance of order to the outside world." Snake fixes Kakashi with a stern look. "Sandaime-sama wants you to stay here though, to help protect and rebuild the village."

"He thinks I'm unstable," Kakashi says flatly.

"He's giving you time to recover, and to be frank, you need it. We have a lot of ANBU casualties, so you might be promoted to captain soon." Kakashi jerks in surprise and Snake nods. "You'll need your head on right if you're going to lead," she says, not unkindly.

A contemplative look crosses Kakashi's face. "So ANBU is recruiting. Are we lowering the age range?"

"Case by case basis. Doesn't mean you won't get people older than you, though." Kakashi frowns but Snake shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. Take a break, sort yourself out, and the rest will fall into place."

The silver-haired teen nods slowly, still doubtful but with determination gradually settling over him.

"He'll make a good captain," Rin says with a gentle look towards Kakashi. "He might forget himself, but he'll keep going because of the people relying on him."

 _'Hopefully, he'll meet teammates who care for him in return,'_ Sakumo muses. ANBU hasn't been as bad for Kakashi as Sakumo initially thought it would be, if only because of the close bond he has formed with Snake.

"Senpai," Kakashi asks as he packs away their trash and heads to the rubbish chute in the kitchen. "Did you speak to Sandaime-sama about Danzou?"

"Yes." She hesitates briefly. "Unfortunately, Sandaime-sama is putting the matter aside for the moment."

The slam of the rubbish chute door almost takes of Kakashi's fingers. "What?!"

Snake just shakes her head regretfully.

"But we have evidence of ROOT activity in Ame! And the Ame kids — we just need to find Orochimaru's labs and we'll have evidence of his involvement too!"

The way Snake's brows are drawn together speaks of a jaded worldliness. "I know."

"Then...?" he splutters.

"He says that Konoha is already weak due to the Kyuubi attack. If we act against Danzou, at best, there would be internal strife, and at worst, there would be civil war."

A reasonable explanation. It makes Kakashi's anger falter but not fade. "So he's scared of Danzou."

"Only a fool wouldn't be."

"Minato-sensei wouldn't have allowed him to get away like this," Kakashi retorts.

At the sight of Kakashi's clenched fists, Snake rises with a sigh and walks over to take Kakashi by the shoulders. "Don't show your anger towards the Sandaime or Danzou. _Especially_ Danzou, do you understand?" Only when he nods stiffly does she release him with a wan smile. "We'll have some other chance when things settle down a bit. I'm sorry, Kakashi. When I took you on as my protégé and when I asked you to follow me to Ame, I thought Yondaime-sama would be around to protect you until long after Danzou's dead."

"I don't need protection," Kakashi replies with a stubborn frown.

"Perhaps not," Snake concedes, "but you can never be too careful. You heard what Otsu said. Danzou has a grudge against me. By extension, that means you're on his radar too. Don't antagonise him. In fact... Once you become captain, we probably shouldn't associate anymore."

Kakashi head snaps up, his lips curled in a snarl. The ninken perk up their ears in interest. "I'm not going to tiptoe around him. Danzou isn't my father. He doesn't get to decide who I can associate with."

"I don't think he'll let me decide either," Sakumo murmurs wryly, and Rin hides a smile.

"Alright, young man." There's fondness in Snake's lopsided grin. "I suppose he doesn't get to read your diary either." Chuckling at Kakashi grumble of protest, she unhooks her mask from her belt and heads towards the window. "Just stay out of trouble, you."

Kakashi's belligerent posture eases. "Going already?" The forlorn note that accidentally slips into Kakashi's voice makes her pause and look back, blinking owlishly behind her mask. Kakashi stands rigidly, his face growing redder with embarrassment by the second. "Sorry, don't mind me—"

Snake steps up onto the window sill lightly and casually shrugs. "Maa, just going to borrow a futon. I'll be back."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm no Hiruzen bashing intended. Just legitimate disagreement and erosion of trust between Sandaime and Snake & Kakashi. Even though Minato is dead, Kakashi's loyalties still lie first with Minato then Hiruzen.


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N:** Yay let's welcome our new addition to the angst train: Naruto!

* * *

The sky is still dark, yet untouched by the light of dawn. It's quiet except for the click of Snake's armour as she clips the shoulder straps. "Go back to sleep," she whispers.

"You're making a racket," Kakashi mumbles back, a dark eye peeking out from behind messy silver hair as he shifts under his shuriken blanket. She huffs in protest as she kneels down to fold her borrowed futon into a neat rectangle. On the floor beside her, Urushi snuffles in his sleep, his legs kicking, and Pakkun lets out a high pitched, whistling snore whenever Rin pets his head. The other dogs are in similarly lazy states.

"Want some miso? I have some of that instant stuff somewhere," Kakashi offers as he sits up, scrubbing his face.

"It's alright. I'll pick up something on the way." Her mask is on now. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you."

Snake ruffles Kakashi's hair, gives Bisuke a scratch behind the ears, and leaves out of the window. It takes only half a second for her to meld into the darkness. When Kakashi tears his eyes away from the window, he notices the futon still lying on the ground and sighs. "Dammit, senpai. Now I have to bring it back."

Still, he picks it up and buries his face in it, inhaling deeply.

"Boss—"

Screeching, Kakashi flings the futon away. "What the—!" Urushi wheezes with his hyena laugh while Kakashi coughs in chagrin. "Why didn't you all warn me?" His ninken are all awake now, wagging their tails unrepentantly.

Pakkun's flat face pulls into a sharp-toothed grin. "That Snake-taichou borrowed Chiro-obaasan's futon? Why would we?"

Realising that that Kakashi had just taken a good lungful of old landlady, Rin bursts into uncontrollable giggling. Sakumo can only shake his head with a sigh.

Kakashi falls flat onto his bed face-first and groans. His ears are very pink.

* * *

The outpost where Naruto has been placed sits along a secluded section of Konoha's wall, behind a series of training grounds and untamed forests, a portion of which belongs to the Nara. If the Kyuubi breaks loose again, it wouldn't be anywhere near the village proper.

The jounin smoking at the gate waves Kakashi into the tower with a smile that speaks of familiarity. "You've grown, Kakashi-kun!"

"Naraya-taichou," Kakashi greets, surprise colouring his voice when he gives the dark-haired man quick once-over. "Haven't see you in a while."

"Since the war," Naraya replies with a thoughtful hum as he leads Kakashi up the winding staircase. Pale sunlight filters down from the circle of windows above, illuminating the several ANBU who dart out to greet them. Bright specks of dust are left dancing in their wake when they disappear again.

"How's Kumona-san?" After the war, Kakashi hasn't been in contact with either of his teammates from the front lines.

"Hm. He's retired now. Lost an arm during a mission." Kakashi makes a noise of sympathy but Naraya shrugs. "You don't need two arms to play with your grandkids."

"I didn't know he was so old."

Naraya shakes his head wryly. "His daughter just got it on early. Post-war baby-boom and all that."

The door to Naruto's room clicks open and the med-nin on shift greets them with polite nods. "Sirs."

Naruto's incubator sits along the wall, next to a gaudy, flower-patterned sofa where the nurse apparently sleeps. The blinds dim the morning light to nothing but a dull orange glow, and in the corner of the room, a heater hums. It's oddly cozy.

"Are you his guardian, now?" Naraya asks tentatively.

"No," the silver-haired youth murmurs, looking down at the tiny bundle sleeping within the incubator's thick plastic shell. Downy blonde hair crowns a fragile, egg-shaped head, and rounded, whiskered cheeks puff out in sleep, pink little lips moving as the infant dreams. Wisps of Kyuubi chakra linger on the newborn's skin, restless yet unlike the malice-filled miasma that remains in the village.

"Naruto," Kakashi whispers, his fingers touching the incubator almost delicately. He has a soft look in his uncovered eye that might just be affection. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"He looks healthy," Rin murmurs just as quietly, her eyes glistening even as she smiles. "Healthy and peaceful." Naruto's birth is a silver - no, golden - lining along the clouds that have filled Konoha's overcast skies. The tight knot of grief in Sakumo's chest loosens at sight of the sweet child who has already saved the village mere minutes after being born. Minato and Kushina's legacy indeed.

Kakashi draws back with the shadow of regret darkening his face. "Minato-sensei's will wasn't updated, so guardianship automatically falls to the Hokage. Sandaime-sama himself is busy with the village, and his wife died in the attack as well, so Naruto will be going to the orphanage."

"Perhaps Hokage-sama can appoint you as guardian instead?"

Kakashi shakes his head slowly. "I have no idea how to be a father. And I don't think I'll be able to take care of Naruto properly, not without quitting ANBU."

"No-one knows how, at the start. And you can always get Kumona-san to babysit if you need to go on missions," Naraya suggests with a smirk.

Self-doubt still plagues Kakashi. "I don't know."

With a sigh, Naraya slaps Kakashi on the back. "No pressure, Kakashi-kun. It's okay. The orphanage is pretty alright."

"Yeah?" Kakashi murmurs. "I'll go by and visit sometime. To make sure." He turns and gives the med-nin standing by the side an eye-smile. "Thank you for taking care of Naruto."

"The Kyuubi has been very cooperative," the med-nin says softly. She tucks a loose strand of her hair behind her ear nervously when Kakashi's eyebrows fly up in surprise. "A premature baby wouldn't be able to withstand the full force of the Kyuubi even if he has Uzumaki blood and the seal. The body is just too weak. The Kyuubi..." She breaks off and swallows. "The Kyuubi hasn't been trying to escape."

"That's..." Kakashi starts hoarsely, turning to stare at Naruto in perplexity.

Impossible, is what Sakumo might have said, if not for the evidence before him. A peacefully sleeping jinchuuriki with ancient chakra licking almost _protectively_ about the babe.

 _'_ _Even the most vicious animals of the wild guard their own fiercely,'_ Sakumo's mother had warned him with a secretive smile, gently tugging him away from the den they'd spied. He had been very young, then, with too much curiosity and too little sense. The mother-wolf's burning yellow eyes had pierced him deeply, deadly and sure even as her cubs tumbled around her, carefree.

Sakumo can't imagine why a demon-fox would show it's nurturing side after wrecking such havoc and killing Naruto's parents, but it is how it is. Perhaps it is survival instinct — if Naruto died, so would the Kyuubi, for some time.

Had Minato known? Had Kushina?

For all that the young couple have sacrificed for Konoha, Sakumo holds a deep respect for them. But at the same time, he is also chilled by the full extent of their actions. Sakumo knows, for sure, that if the choice had fallen to him, he would have never risked Kakashi life like this. He would have never placed this kind of burden on him, for the greater good or not. He simply wouldn't be able to do it.

But Naruto had never chosen to be the Hokage's son either.

"Poor kid," Naraya sighs as he shoots Naruto a pitying look. "Life's tough when you're destined for great things, huh?"


	63. Chapter 63

"KAKASHI!"

Said scarecrow turns on his heel immediately, quickening his pace to disappear into alleyway. He had been so caught up in his thoughts after seeing Naruto that he hadn't bothered to take a less populated route.

It's no use. A spandex clad arm shoots out and grabs Kakashi's shoulder. A cry of startled pain promptly echoes off the narrow brick walls when Kakashi zaps Gai with a small bolt of static. "Don't surprise me like that."

Gai takes one look at Kakashi's bored, half-lidded gaze and shakes his head. "You were avoiding me." His frown melts away into concern barely a moment later. "I'm glad you're back, my Rival. Would you like me to Challenge you to some lunch?"

It's an unexpectedly conscientious way of asking someone out for a meal, given Gai's usual exuberant manner. But then, Gai always had a surprising amount of tact hidden under all those loud declarations. Not only had Gai done away with the inane _"are you alright's"_ and _"how do you feel's"_ , he also left it up to Kakashi whether it was alright for Gai to issue a more... forceful offer of companionship. That is, of course, the Challenge.

From the way Kakashi's eye crinkles, he understands it all. Still, he shakes his head, causing his hair too falling limply over his hitai-ate. "I've already eaten," he lies. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and turns away. "See you, Gai."

"Kakashi..."

He glances over his shoulder, countenance softened with remorse. "Next time, Gai."

The other teen nods solemnly like it is a promise, his hands loose by his sides and his gaze steady and determined. And perhaps it is a promise, because Gai won't let it become anything less. Once again, Sakumo is glad that Kakashi has a friend like Gai, who is stubborn enough to barrel past the thorny exterior that Kakashi puts up but gentle enough to never push too far.

Kakashi eye-smiles again and lifts his hand farewell, walking away with measured steps.

* * *

The hospital is too busy to conduct the standard post-mission physical and psychological evaluation, so Kakashi gets away with only a brief once over by a harried med-nin. Almost immediately, he checks himself in at the missions desk and asks for a mission. There are a massive amount of D-ranks, either helping people or rebuilding infrastructure. It's no surprise that Kakashi chooses the latter, and heads off to help lug rubble and building materials around, and use the occasional Doton to shape walls and pillars. It's a gross underutilisation of Kakashi's skills, but it is what the village needs most now.

Kakashi toils the daylight away and goes back to his apartment in an effort to avoid the crowd back in the ANBU barracks — not that there's much of a crowd left. He pulls out the chair at his desk, easing himself into it with the tentativeness that should belong on an old man. Physical labour like this strains different muscles than training, and Kakashi has already been pushing his body's limits for weeks in Ame. The photo of Team Minato on his window sill catches his eye, and for hours he sits there in the dark, just staring at it dully. It's almost midnight before he stirs once more, as if waking from a dream (or a nightmare). He showers, changes, and lies down on his bed. Closes his eyes, sleeps. Forgets about dinner.

Sakumo touches Kakashi's hair where it's splayed along his pillow, wondering if he has always been so thin, his wrists so fragile. Much to Sakumo and Rin's dismay, Kakashi's tendency to neglect himself seems to have come thoroughly to the forefront now that Snake is on a mission and all his other friends have been firmly pushed away.

When morning comes - because it always comes, no matter how many people it leaves behind - Kakashi wakes and blinks open his eyes. But he doesn't get up. He just stares at the ceiling while the minutes tick away, awake but seemingly unable to gather enough strength to sit up, get of bed, and begin another day. Sakumo knows only too well that hollowness reflected in Kakashi's unfocused gaze, the kind that seems to steal every breath he tries to draw.

Pressing the back of his hand against his teeth, Kakashi bites down hard, a sharp noise of frustration tearing through him. With his hand still bleeding, he throws himself out of his blankets and walks to his cabinet with brisk steps, pulling out his uniform with brusque movements. He finishes his ablutions and scarfs down a ration bar with vengeance, as if even one second's hesitation will send him crumpling to the floor again, unable to function.

Grabbing the futon Snake had borrowed, he stalks out of his apartment and locks the door. The futon goes over the fence surrounding the landlady's backyard, and with Chiro's angry shrieks ringing in his ears, Kakashi sprints to the residential district he had helped at yesterday. When he raises his hand to greet his supervisor, the skin has been Henge-ed back to it's former, unmarred state again.

With another day of labour over, the night finds Kakashi standing before the broken remains of Minato and Kushina's house, chilled by the long walk. Where there had once been neat bungalows and trimmed gardens, now only rubble and craters mark the land. The oppressive weight of the Kyuubi's chakra, not yet dispelled after so many days, marks the barren district as the epicenter of the demon-fox's hatred.

Kakashi walks carefully along cracked earth, avoiding the thickened outgrowths of wood that sprout from the fissures. They are strange, twisted things, grasping at nothing and curling into air like malformed hands. Rin skirts around them with all wariness, as if they might burst into motion and seize her any moment.

Every now and then, Kakashi would find one of Minato's Hiraishin kunai embedded in the Mokuton constructs, the levelled earth, and the half-crumbled walls. No-one has removed them yet; each one stands as a monument to the Yondaime's last battle. Sakumo can almost imagine Minato using his Hiraishin to slip out of the clutches of those vines, flashing about with his Hokage's cloak snapping behind him and Naruto in his arms. With the barest touch, Kakashi would run his finger along the white handle, reading each of the words before stepping away and moving onto the next one glinting in the moonlight. Like shining beacons, they lead Kakashi unerringly towards where it all ended.

In the wrecked shell of Minato and Kushina's home, there's someone else there, too.

"Genma," Kakashi says lowly as he starts on the concrete steps leading up to the house proper.

The older boy flinches, his senbon dropping out of his mouth and clattering to the ground. His eyes widen further at the sight of Kakashi, a hint of panic flitting over his usually confident features. He quickly drops his gaze, his shoulders a tense line that Kakashi pretends not to notice. Bending down, Kakashi picks up the senbon and hands it to Genma, who stutters out a "thank you".

Didn't Hiruzen say that the intruder had pretended to be one of Minato's guard...?

Kakashi stares blankly at the twisted railing that hangs off one side of the house, the surviving half of building cut open like a doll's house, revealing furniture left in disarray. There's evidence of that unnatural Mokuton here too — jagged spikes of wood breaking through two floors and bursting through the tiled roof as if to impale the moon.

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi." Genma sounds small and resigned to Kakashi's hatred. The young ANBU has become Minato and Kushina's proxy of sorts, and Genma is apologising to them just as much to Kakashi.

When Kakashi looks up at Genma, past those few inches of height difference that mean nothing, really, there's understanding in the dark pool of his eye. "Don't blame yourself," he murmurs. The moonlight bleaches his hair white, crowning him with an almost ethereal halo. "It's not your fault. If I had been in the village, whoever did this could have just as easily used my face instead of yours."

Behind the fall of his hair, Genma squeezes his eyes tightly shut. His breath rattles out of him.

"I know," Kakashi sighs quietly, "how it feels." Inside his pocket, his right hand clenches into a fist.

* * *

 **A/N:** I used to say this is a "Tobi-is-actually-Madara universe" but I forgot that Madara was already old and decrepit when he met Obito. Oops. So it's actually a "no-Tobi universe" and someone else killed Minato and Kushina. I'm pretty sure you all can guess who!


	64. Chapter 64

As is his manner of coping, Kakashi throws himself back into his work the moment the morning's mass funeral ends. It was held at daybreak; a simple ceremony that left the cloying scent of incense in the crisp morning air and the salty taste of tears at the back of the throat.

"She had just one job," grumbles a scathing voice somewhere behind a neighbouring house's half-collapsed wall. "But she couldn't even do it. So much for Uzumaki seals."

Blinking sweat out of his eye, Kakashi looks up from the cement foundation he is smoothing with a trowel. Beside him, Rin has her arms crossed over her chest and her feet planted in the wet cement, a scowl growing on her face as she glares at the pair of civilian women walking by.

Oblivious to their audience, the other woman continues to whisper under her breath. "I heard it escaped when she gave birth."

Her companion's face twists in disgust. "Then she should have known better than try for a child in the first place! Risking the entire village like that..."

 _'Kushina doesn't deserve this kind of condemnation.'_ The thud of Kakashi's trowel falling onto the grass stalls the anger curling hot in Sakumo's stomach. In the shadow of the half-constructed house's skeleton, Kakashi's face is darkened with fury as he stands. His chakra sparks into static, skipping down the back of his arm and tripping over his knuckles.

"Ne, Hatake-san," his supervisor calls from his seat on a cross-beam. The old civilian eyes the blue lightning fizzling along Kakashi's hand nervously. "You alright there?"

Kakashi shrugs stiffly, sparing the man a fake eye-smile before smothering his chakra back to quiescence. The two women have turned the corner and disappeared. "Just thought I heard something," Kakashi mutters, still glaring daggers after them.

"Ridiculous yapping, that was what it was," Rin growls. "I can't believe it!"

"Um, if you want a break—"

"It's fine."

"—there seems to be someone waiting for you."

Kakashi whips around, only to see none other than Shimura Danzou standing on the narrow dirt road behind the house. The bandaged man smiles, an expression that might have been friendly if not for the person it is attached to. "A moment of your time, Kakashi?"

"O-of course, Danzou-sama."

As Kakashi hurries over to join the elder, Sakumo stares. The little stutter, the innocent widening of his uncovered eye, and the relaxed openness of his body language... It had all fallen into place so quickly. If Sakumo had not seen for himself the outrage that had filled Kakashi that night in his apartment, he would have believed that Kakashi was _flattered_ to have Danzou seek him out.

Behind a sympathetic grimace, Danzou is observing Kakashi closely. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Surprised gratitude lights up Kakashi's eye before dulling into a smouldering anger. "You don't have to apologise for their ignorance, Danzou-sama. They don't... They don't understand the burden that Kushina-san carried for them."

"Indeed. It's a thankless job that we have. When there's peace, everyone takes it for granted, but when there is war or disaster, we are on the chopping block. Even our fellow shinobi..." Danzou scoffs derisively, shaking his head. "They turned against your father so quickly too, didn't they?"

Sakumo tenses, blood quickening with anger. "Using me, huh," he fumes as he draws up beside Danzou, scowling. "You damn old fox." Kakashi glances at Danzou from the corner of his eye, expression shuttered.

"War was going to arrive anyway," Danzou continues in a tone of mild irritation, "but they wanted someone to blame."

Kakashi bows his head as if in thanks, and Danzou pats his shoulder in a grandfatherly way.

The elder has a cunning way with words, but Sakumo believes fiercely that Kakashi is just as smart, just as shrewd, and just as determined as Danzou himself. Even if he does not have the benefit of long decades of life experience, Kakashi has matured much over these few years. He'll be able to recognise the old war general's manipulations. He must.

"I wanted to speak to you, actually, Danzou-sama." They've come to a stop at the edge of the district, where a chain-link fence bows under the weight of a mass of wisteria. The cultivated purple flowers separate the civilian residences from the training grounds beyond, where the forests grow dark and untamed.

"Oh?" Danzou murmurs, tucking his hands into his oversized sleeves. His staff has been impaled into the ground beside him.

Kakashi's gaze is distant, lost in the shadowed forests beyond the fence. "I went to Minato-sensei's home several nights ago. I saw all the Mokuton around it. Sandaime-sama said it was the attacker's, but then that can only mean two things..."

"Either a betrayal from our own, or a theft of Konoha's jutsu," Danzou finishes seriously. "I am glad we have this opportunity to speak candidly. You deserve the truth, Kakashi." He sighs deeply and Kakashi straightens in all alertness. "As his student, you must have known that Minato and I had our... disagreements. But I have no doubt he was a good Hokage. If there was anything I could have done to save him, I would have done it. Even if Hiruzen would have been unhappy with my project, I should have gone ahead all those years ago..."

"What project?" Kakashi asks, interest colouring his tone as he gives Danzou a measured look.

Danzou regards him soberly. "The revival of the Shodaime's lost Mokuton no jutsu. Other than a truly powerful Sharingan, it is the only way that the Kyuubi can be controlled. The attacker must have known this and stolen the Shodaime's DNA." A flash of frustration deepens the lines on his face. "That project — in the end, I conducted it in secret, but by then it was already too late." His single dark eye fixes on Kakashi, narrowed with regret. "The Mokuton user under my command now is still too young and his jutsu too weak. If Hiruzen had not interfered, I would have been able to train a stronger Mokuton user in time to prevent this tragedy... And your sensei would have lived. Even if the Kyuubi had escaped, we would have been able to control it."

The revelation leaves Kakashi visibly shaken, grief and doubt swirling in the depths of his gaze. It's hard to accept the deaths of loved ones, but the loss is made doubly worse knowing that it could have been prevented.

"It could be him!" Rin exclaims, the purple markings on her face stark against her pale skin. "If he's lying about his Mokuton user's strength, then it could be him! Didn't Kagami-sama say the attacker was white and green with spiky protrusions? We'd be able to recognise him for sure."

Sakumo nods. "I'm sure Kakashi is thinking the same," he says, even though there's always the niggling of doubt. It's hard to tell when Kakashi is so immersed in his acting.

"If it's really Danzou..." Rin smiles, and Sakumo is reminded of how Kushina makes her smiles one part beautiful and nine parts threatening.

But there's also an equal chance that Danzou is speaking the truth about his Mokuton user. Neither situation can be taken lightly, because unquantified threat or betrayal puts Konoha at risk either way.

Danzou thumps his clenched fist against the handle of his cane, driving it deeper into the earth. "Now, someone from in Konoha - or worse, someone from another nation - has managed to do what we have not been able to. We have already taken a serious blow, and yet we do not even know who our enemies are. If they strike again..."

It goes without saying that Konoha will suffer even more greatly. Perhaps, it will even fall once and for all. If such a situation truly arises, they might need Danzou and his ROOT. The silver-haired teen looks up at the taller man with worried, dutiful eyes.

"That is why, Kakashi..." Danzou concludes in a quiet, private tone. "I need you in my organisation, ROOT."

Sakumo and Rin both stiffen and behind his mask, Kakashi's mouth pops open in shock.

* * *

 **A/N** : Next up, dastardly Danzou demands a dangerous and dubious deed.


	65. Chapter 65

"I believe you can understand the dangers we're facing better than anyone. You were there in Ame, weren't you? No, don't be afraid. I know you were just following orders. But you saw for yourself the danger people like Hanzou and the Akatsuki can pose to Konoha. The attacker could have been any one of them. It's because of disasters like this that I try to get rid of threats like the Akatsuki pre-emptively. It's too late by the time their plans come to fruition. You understand don't you, Kakashi? It's all to protect us, to protect Konoha.

"Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. It's the reason why Minato sealed the Kyuubi into his own son. It's the reason why so many have given their lives in war. And it's the reason why ROOT exists: to support the village like a tree's roots anchored within the earth. People glorify what is happening in the sunlight and all the idealism that comes with it, but we know that what's happening in the dark is just as important. It's down-to-earth, gritty realism that ensures Konoha's survival, not niceties. People end up condemning us because they don't want to face this side of reality. But Kakashi, you're smarter than that. You know what it's like to be on this side — the side that no-one sees. That's why you've stayed in ANBU.

"You don't need their approval," Danzou declares firmly. "You don't need to listen to all the condemnation that they heap on you. But ROOT needs you. You'll be able to do great things in ROOT, Kakashi, if only you break free of all that unreliable sentimentalism and go back to what it really means to be a shinobi."

There's a fear creeping up on Sakumo that the rattled uncertainty reflected in the hunch of Kakashi's shoulders is becoming more genuine than not. For someone who has hardly spoken ten words to Kakashi his whole life, Danzou knows him unnervingly well. Just how long has Danzou been watching him? Like a Hyuuga in a fight, Danzou is shutting down every tenketsu he can jab.

Despite all the anger and disapproval towards Danzou that Kakashi has carefully bottled up inside of himself during those months in Ame, what the elder has just torn open are years-old wounds. The million half-healed, half-scarred lacerations in his heart that every careless accusation has carved into him.

It begins with being the son of his disgrace of a father, then the Sharingan that he stole from a dead teammate, then the friend that he murdered in cold blood, and now, the sensei he wasn't able to save and the jinchuuriki outsider he was much too close with. And how many more will there still be? These are the things which cut deepest into the soul, not the abstract wrongs that Danzou has committed in a faraway land. These things cut _away_ and cut _out_ ; isolating Kakashi with every barb that buries itself in his flesh.

And here, Danzou is saying _"I understand"_. He is saying _"we're the same"._

By appealing to Kakashi's sense of duty towards his village and fanning his resentment towards the same, Danzou is isolating Kakashi. By forgiving him for killing the ROOT agents in Ame, Danzou is putting Kakashi in his debt. And by using everyone from Minato to Hanzou in a thorough mix of rhetoric and logic, he is constructing a facade of honesty over his lies.

Geniuses are susceptible because they can't help but think too much. Acting is even more perilous because falsehoods and truths feed each other much too easily. Kakashi's hand goes to his Sharingan, a gesture borne of unconscious habit. His fingers brush his hita-ate, hesitating.

"Obito," Rin whispers, because she's becoming worried too, caught as she is in the twisted half-truths that Danzou and Kakashi are both spinning with their words and reactions. "Don't forget Obito."

Kakashi's hand lowers and drops back to his side. "What do you want me to do, Danzou-sama?" he asks at length.

The kindly smile that Danzou gives Kakashi makes Sakumo shudder. "Consider my offer. Think about what it really means to protect this village."

 _'Yes, yes, buy some time to think this through_ —' the elder Hatake cajoles silently in his mind.

"No," Kakashi replies softly, his voice steady with conviction as he squares his shoulders. "I've decided. Danzou-sama, what do you want me to do?"

Sakumo's stomach plummets and Rin crouches down, hiding her face against her knees. It doesn't matter if Kakashi is acting anymore, not when he has just promised Danzou himself. The satisfied gleam in Danzou's eye makes an awful, frozen anger solidify inside Sakumo.

"If you're going to join ROOT, you'll need to make sure that no-one will be able to report you to Hiruzen. Your taichou, Snake, she was once in ROOT, did you know...? Ah, so you do. I don't know what she has told you, but she has been trying to tear apart my organisation for years. She won't understand why you would want to join ROOT — she's like Hiruzen, much too idealistic. She won't hesitate to turn on you if she thinks it necessary, so we have to act first."

The blankness of Kakashi's expression is the type that precedes a particularly bloody use of Chidori. "Would it not be enough to distance myself from her...?"

A grimace presses Danzou's lips into a thin line. "She knows ROOT too well, unfortunately. We can't have Hiruzen restricting us again, not when we are facing an unknown threat powerful enough to wield the Kyuubi. If we don't become stronger quickly, when we are attacked again, Naruto will be at risk. It's better to get rid of potential obstacles once and for all."

They both know it's a test of loyalty; an initiation. Danzou is greedy enough to want Kakashi's soul and everything else besides it. Still, when Kakashi hesitates, Danzou allows it. _'It wouldn't do to push too hard and scare him away, after all,'_ Sakumo thinks bitterly.

"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," Kakashi whispers, his gaze downcast, and Rin looks up with a hopeful shine in her eyes. "I won't let another one of my comrades die by my hand again."

Danzou exhales on a drawn out sigh. "I understand your sentiment for your teammates and your friends, but things aren't so simple here." The elder regards Kakashi pityingly. "How much do you even know about your taichou?"

The teen startles. "How much do I...?"

"She hasn't told you anything, right? Do you even know her real name?" At Kakashi's frozen countenance, Danzou only plunges the knife deeper. "How can you trust someone who doesn't trust you?" Kakashi tears his gaze away, tense with sudden hurt, and Danzou continues on relentlessly. "Do you know why she joined ROOT in the first place? She wasn't like you — she didn't join for the good of the village. She had murdered her father, and she wanted to cover it up." A self-deprecating sound escapes the elder's throat. "I gave her a second chance because I saw the potential in her, but in the end, she betrayed us all."

Kakashi has nothing to retort with because Snake had really told him nothing about herself and her past. He rubs restlessly at his covered eye again, a deep frown creasing his forehead.

"She's not like your teammates, or your sensei. She's a danger, Kakashi, not a friend."

* * *

 **A/N:** These two chapters really gave me a dilemma. On one hand, I want Danzou to appear reasonable because reasonable villains are the most interesting (and dangerous) kind of villains. On the other hand, there's no way I want to justify Danzou's extremism, nope.

So I'll just say this: the most important thing to Danzou is Konoha's physical survival, and only that (ROOT = screw mental health + happiness). But there are of course things which are more important, like morality.


	66. Chapter 66

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Life has been busy busy and this chapter was really uncooperative :( but I hope it turned out alright... :)

* * *

After alternating between distraction and paranoia for days on end, Kakashi finally snaps. Finishing off his current mission quickly, he shakes off his ROOT stalkers and disappears behind the heavily warded boundaries of the Hatake estate. The chakra wards will keep out any unwanted visitors and give Kakashi a measure of much needed privacy.

A liberal application of Chidori on various overgrown weeds and several innocent trees later, Kakashi storms into the house itself. He hurries past the living room and the bedrooms with brisk footsteps, not even looking at them. There are too many (metaphorical) ghosts lingering in those familiar spaces.

But somehow, Sakumo feels settled enough to point out a few interesting things for Rin, who has never been here before and doesn't know about the bloodstained tatami mats behind Sakumo's locked bedroom door. Despite everything, Sakumo misses the place he had lived in all his living years. It no longer feels like _home_ anymore - not with its lightless corridors, locked windows, and lifeless layer of dust - but he's struck by intense nostalgia wherever he looks. Wistfully, Sakumo brushes his hand along (through) the dried flowers in the living room, the stack of Academy texts on the dining table, and the burn marks on the stove.

With Kakashi so obviously uncomfortable with it all, it really begs the question why he is even back here in the first place, digging through the storage and study rooms.

"Oh, it's a new de-stressing project," Rin observes when the dawn of the next day find them standing at the edge of the sprawling field behind the Hatake estate. Kakashi is considering the open scroll in his hand with a frown, his sleep-mussed hair falling softly over his narrowed eyes.

"Like how he started cooking for the team during the war?" Sakumo asks with faint amusement, and Rin gives him an answering grin. Without something to occupy his mind, Kakashi tends to think himself into a frenzy. It had been at Minato's prompting that Kakashi turned his day-to-day cooking into a stress-reducing hobby, much to the delight of everyone's tastebuds except Sakumo's.

The scroll Kakashi had chosen is an old heirloom, yellowed and frayed at the edges of its silk backing. The last time Sakumo had taken it out, it had been part of an offhand idea to teach Kakashi about their clan history. The scroll details a series of secret jutsus that have been passed down through their clan — farming jutsus, since the Hatakes had worked the land with chakra techniques since antiquity. They had been shinobi too, of course, in order to protect their land and produce from other ambitious clans. However, most of these jutsus have remained disused since the Hatake branch family migrated to Konoha's naturally lush lands.

Once Kakashi finishes memorising the jutsus he needs, he starts wading his way through the waist-high, dewy grass. He divides up the land into neat acres, marking the corners with sharpened sticks. A careful Doton is applied to each plot, tilling the soil with gentle waves of chakra that loosen up the earth and sieve out plant matter, piling them neatly to the sides. As Kakashi moves from acre to acre, sweat beading on his bare forehead despite the cool weather, Sakumo and Rin continue their usual conversation.

Sakumo had been worried about Kakashi succumbing to Danzou's lies, but Kakashi's visit to the cenotaph eased his concerns slightly. Regardless of how convincing Danzou's rhetoric might be, it seems that Kakashi's loyalty will always lie first with Minato. After all, Minato was Hokage, sensei, and brother-figure all in one to him.

Now, Sakumo is rather more concerned with how far his son would go to fulfill what he sees as Minato's last mission for him. When Minato had sent him to investigate Danzou's actions in Ame, it had been clear that the mission was part of a larger plan to remove Danzou from power. With how angrily Kakashi reacted to Hiruzen's refusal to confront Danzou, it's clear that Kakashi still holds onto this idea vehemently.

On the other hand, Sakumo doesn't think Kakashi will be able to sacrifice his senpai for such a cause. Even with Danzou's pointed questions about Snake's trustworthiness, she is still the person closest to Kakashi now that Minato and Kushina are gone. It will all depend on what happens when she comes back.

If only exposing Danzou to the public was a viable option... As an elder of Konoha and a lauded war veteran of three shinobi world wars, there are many who revere him. Kakashi may be a prodigy and one of the great contributors of the Third Shinobi World War, but his reputation see-saws wildly between fame and infamy. And at only fourteen years of age, the weight of Kakashi's testimony will still be regarded as that of a child's. If it comes down to a clash of credibility, Kakashi will undoubtedly lose. And with how Danzou has been watching Kakashi's every move, the last Hatake would be dead before he even speaks one word against the elder.

This time, even Sakumo's hands are tied. For all the damage that ghosts can do, assassination is a blunt weapon. Despite Danzou's arrogance and ambition, he is a shinobi grounded enough to eschew the fallacy of immortality. He must have made the appropriate arrangements to ensure ROOT's self-perpetuation in the event of his death — killing him wouldn't do anything but drive ROOT even further underground.

The dilemma before them makes dread curl up Sakumo's spine. No matter which option he chooses, Kakashi will lose something, someone.

"Aren't you a little too old for hide-and-seek?" Kakashi mutters under his breath as he finishes tilling another acre of land. The two ghosts fall silent and look around curiously. When Sakumo spots Kakashi's visitor, he lights up with a wide smile.

The sudden displacement of air behind Kakashi is the only warning he gets before a large shadow looms over him. "And aren't you a little too old to play in the mud?" a familiar voice gripes in reply as the shadow's owner tries to grab Kakashi.

Ducking away nimbly, Kakashi brushes the dirt off his hands with affected nonchalance. "I'm not playing. I'm a Hatake; I'm farming."

Jiraiya raises a skeptical eyebrow at the barren earth. "Really?" The silver-haired teen only rolls his eye in response. When Jiraiya goes in for another hug, Kakashi gives a resigned sigh and hangs limply in the Sannin's arms. Rin's and Sakumo's eyes are bright with mirth when Jiraiya lifts Kakashi off his feet with a chuckle, testing the teen's weight like he would a sack of rice. "You're the only green little thing I see around here and you seem more like a scarecrow than any kind of crop."

"Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi says warningly, glaring as he tries to wriggle his trapped arms free.

Squeezing tightly once more - and making Kakashi squeak "my guts!" breathlessly in the process - Jiraiya sets down the teen with a sad smile. "I'm glad you're okay, pup."

Brushing imaginary lint off himself with exaggerated focus, Kakashi frowns. "I guess." Instead of the scent of women's perfume, the scent of incense clings to Jiraiya instead. "How long are you staying this time?"

The Sannin's face falls into somber lines. "A few days."

Brushing a stray strand of hair out of his eye, Kakashi hums in acknowledgement. "You're not staying for Naruto."

"I can't stay long enough to make it worth anything, anyway," Jiraiya confirms softly, his eyes darkening with regret. "I have to maintain my network. It's more important now than ever."

"I know."

Silence stretches between them, heavy with contemplation. "Why the sudden return to your roots?"

Kakashi twitches at the mention of "root" but he shrugs and flaps a hand at their general area. "All this nice fertile land is just sitting here. Perhaps I can lease some of it out to the civilians who have lost their shops and businesses due to the attack. Konoha relies too much on imported agriculture anyway. It'll be good to increase our self-sustainability."

"How patriotic, Hatake-sama." Jiraiya grins but Kakashi just shakes his head with a wry smile behind his mask. "You'd better get an actual farmer to help you plan this out. There's a lot you can learn from books and scrolls, but some experience always helps. How about this... I can send one of my acquaintances by if you like."

"Thank you." Kakashi eye-smiles briefly before his expression becomes distant once more. Turning back to the patch of black earth before him, Kakashi begins picking at the dirt under his nails.

"Talk to me, kid." Astute as always, Jiraiya realises that Kakashi's sudden inclination towards farming is but a symptom of his mental preoccupation. "Don't keep it all bottled up."

The young ANBU's hands still. For several moments, he visibly struggles to put his dilemma into words. "Jiriaya-sama, are the needs of the many always more important than any one person?"

Jiraiya's large hand settles on Kakashi's shoulder, warm and comforting. It's a touch completely different from Danzou's, and Kakashi leans into it with a silent exhale. Silent gratitude swells in Sakumo's chest, thick like molasses. "That's a tough question, Kakashi," Jiraiya sighs, sounding all his years and more.

His head falling back, Kakashi lets his eye slip closed. The brightening sunrise scatters a golden glow across his face, but sleepless shadows still bruise the skin beneath his lashes. "I thought I had found my ninja way," he murmurs quietly. "I thought it was going to be simpler from here on — that I would just follow what Tou-san and Obito taught me, and always put my comrades first no matter what mission I have. But it's not that black and white, is it? Sometimes, whichever way you choose, those precious to you are going to suffer. Minato-sensei had to choose between Konoha and the happiness of his son. Rin had to choose between Konoha and herself, because I couldn't." Kakashi clenches his fist briefly, cracking his knuckles before relaxing his hand again. "Is it really just as simple as weighing up costs and benefits? That's..." Kakashi swallows heavily, his throat bobbing.

Jiraiya's gaze is soft with sympathy when he speaks. "Lives shouldn't be weighed, but as shinobi, we are forced to do it all the time. It's when we face these kinds of choices - when we face death itself - that the true character of a man comes to light. Sometimes, at that critical moment, things become clear. But sometimes, we remain blind until the very end. It's not possible to predict all the paths the future can take and weigh all those possibilities on perfect scales. We can only make do with what little we know, and make decisions we can live with." Sighing, Jiraiya gives Kakashi's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We all learn day by day, decision by decision. But Kakashi, once something has already been decided, don't let regrets and "what if's" haunt you. We have to move forward and make the best of what's left."

Even though the Sannin had given him no straight answers, Kakashi looks up and gives the older man a grateful eye-smile. "Thanks, Jiraiya-sama."


	67. Chapter 67

**A/N:** I've been working on another one of my long overdue plot bunnies... I still need to do a lot of editing, but hopefully I'll be able to post it soon :D it's not Kakashi-related, but angsty!

(I have so many plot bunnies. They take turns biting me, ow.)

* * *

As Jiraiya promised, his farmer acquaintance turns up at the gate within a few days, muttering under his breath about pervy shinobi. "Jiraiya sent me by," the grizzled man says absently, busy peering curiously over Kakashi's spiky head at bit of land visible in the doorway. He looks as old as the Hokage himself, but slightly more chubby all round. "I'm supposed to meet Hatake Kakashi."

The silver-haired jounin's eye twitches. "And your name is?"

"Tanaka Gakuto," the farmer replies, frowning at Kakashi's mildly irritated tone. He adjusts his hat with a tanned hand and peers down at the teen. "Well kid, are you going to let me in or not?"

"Fine, fine," Kakashi grouches as he shoves the door open wider. "Don't call me kid." His short-sleeved shirt and lack of hitai-ate admittedly makes him look even younger than usual.

Gakuto just shrugs, his eyes lighting up as he takes in the generous spread of land before them. "Whoa, Jiraiya mentioned Hatake-sama had some jutsu to help and all, but this looks great."

"That's good to know," Kakashi says, sounding torn between gladness and exasperation. "I spent a good day working on that." The older man raises an impressed eyebrow and receives a fake eye-smile in return. "I've also set up a barrier jutsu around to keep the temperature constant, like in a greenhouse, so we can plant the crops throughout the year without worrying about the weather."

"Wow kid!" Gakuto exclaims as he slaps Kakashi on the back, making the teen wince. "Hatake-sama must rely on you a lot."

The jounin slumps in defeat and Rin and Sakumo share an amused look. "Yeah. He does."

After the short but chilly walk, the house's blanketing warmth is a relief. The living room looks marginally better now that it has been dusted and aired. While Gakuto seats himself at the dining table, Kakashi drags his feet to the kitchen cabinet to make tea like a good host .

"So, are you Hatake-san's little brother or something?" Gakuto continues cluelessly as he flips through the books about agriculture Kakashi had borrowed from the library.

The loud bang that Kakashi's forehead makes against the thin cabinet door startles his visitor. "Tanaka-san," he says very calmly without turning around.

"Yes?" Gakuto says defensively.

"I _am_ Hatake Kakashi."

There's a beat of silence before Gakuto's awkward, booming laughter shatters it. Kakashi stiffens so much his spine might just snap. "Ah, I'm real sorry Hatake-sama! I'm a little out of touch with shinobi events. With how Jiraiya described you, I didn't expect you to be so, so..."

"Cute," Rin supplies in a chirp.

"Chibi," Sakumo chuckles.

"YOUTHFUL!" Gai burst through the door shouting, making Gakuto jump and Kakashi twitch.

Gai bodily spins Kakashi around and the latter makes a weary, offhand gesture at his spandex-clad rival. "My colleague. He volunteered to do the heavy lifting." Gai's beaming smile nearly blinds the wide-eyed farmer.

"How hip and cool of you to forgive this Unexpected Misunderstanding, my Rival!" Gakuto seems mildly disturbed by the proud tears glimmering in Gai's eyes.

The kettle whistles and Gai grabs it off the stove in an instant, along with three cups, a teapot, and the packet of loose leaf green tea. His whirlwind movement creates a breeze strong enough to ruffle Kakashi's hair, but Kakashi himself seems content enough to let Gai take over the kitchen. "What are we doing today, Rival? Conspiring to bring joy to the world?" He sets the teapot and cups on the table with a flourish, his onyx eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Shall we drop off gifts at the orphanage in most humble secrecy? Or shall we cook a heartwarming meal to encourage the downtrodden?"

"We're just going to figure out which crops to plant," Kakashi sighs as Gai steers him to the dining table and sets a cup of tea before him.

"I see." Gai nods approvingly before spinning to give Gakuto a Nice Guy thumbs up. "Agriculture is indeed a noble calling!" Gai bellows. The poor civilian winces at the eardrum-popping volume and turns to Kakashi with pleading eyes, only to find the other jounin calmly sipping tea through his mask.

"How long do you think he's going to make it?" Rin giggles to Sakumo, who huffs in amusement at Gakuto's grimace of regret.

* * *

Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised with Kakashi's initiative, so much that he assigned several of the more responsible genin to help Kakashi. So here Kakashi is three days later, sitting behind a desk piled with contracts that he had drawn up. A small outdoor canopy has been set up just outside the house and a long queue of nervous civilians snakes from it.

"Right, please acknowledge here..." Kakashi murmurs, pointing at the space where the inkan*seal should be stamped. His new tenant fumbles with his inkan as his wife examines the list of possible crop combinations with a contemplative glint in her eye, clearly already making plans. Kakashi has taken the precaution of wearing his full shinobi uniform today, stiff still-new flak jacket and all. He has grown enough to wear it, and with his slanted hitai-ate and gelled spikes of hair, he looks considerably more mature than when he had met Gakuto.

Once the contract is signed, Gai takes over. With a big smile, he shows the people their assigned plots of land and explains everything from the greenhouse jutsu to the why Kakashi wears a mask ("A ninja has to be mysterious!"). His energy-level makes the adults apprehensive, but the kids swarm him, following the jounin around with so much giggling enthusiasm that no-one can really dislike him.

The next family comes up to the desk - a middle-aged couple with a brown-haired child clinging to the lady's leg - and Kakashi looks up again with a smile on his face. Perched on the edge of the desk, Rin gasps quietly. Sakumo's curiosity turning to mild alarm as he takes in her pale countenance. "What's wrong?"

"T-there's someone you should, uh, maybe meet..." Her eyes darts anxiously between the members of the family. Sakumo looks between Rin and the stern-looking man now stepping forward, a suspicion forming in his mind. He shoots her a worried glance but she just shakes her head. "Sorry," she mumbles. "Should have told you earlier but..."

"It's okay," Sakumo says as he gives her back a comforting pat, knowing that the man must be some relative who has given her grief. "You don't have to explain. Do you want to go somewhere else?"

She smiles back weakly and shakes her head. "...it's alright."

The man bows slightly before taking a seat, his wife following beside him. Rin's discomfort aside, Sakumo already doesn't like the calculating way he looks at Kakashi. It's the look of a man who wants to gain an advantage. "Thank you for having us, Hatake-sama."

Kakashi eye-smiles absently, his hands busy reaching for another contract. "Pleasure to meet you both." He sets the thin sheet of paper before them. "If you could write your names...? Thank you."

Then he peers at the inked characters and freezes, his eye widening and his face draining of all colour. "...Nohara-san?"

Nohara Hiroji just nods back, completely unperturbed even though his wife, Mayumi, looks just as uncomfortable as Rin is with the whole situation. Kakashi has had enough guilt for a lifetime for his role in Rin's death, but Hiroji's coolness rubs Sakumo the wrong way. "You are Rin's teammate, right?"

Kakashi's hand trembles as he sets the paper down. "Yes," he admits softly, as if expecting to be punched or strangled any second. His downcast gaze accidentally lands on the child and she hides behind her mother, staring at Kakashi with large, fearful eyes as she clutches at her mother's plain kimono. Now that Sakumo knows about their relation, the child looks quite a bit like Rin, down to the short hair and doe-eyes. Inhaling shakily, Kakashi looks away quickly. He sets his jaw and swallows, looking up with all preparation to accept his due. "You both must be Rin's parents, then?"

Mayumi quickly reveals that she is only Rin's step-mother and the child Rin's half-sister. Rin looks a little upset at they way she's distancing herself, but it's when Hiroji very calmly says "I'm her father" that her expression crumples with equal parts anger and misery.

Kakashi visibly falters and the silence draws out to an uncomfortable length.

"Perhaps you can explain to me the contract?" Hiroji says, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kakashi clears his throat. "O-of course." His gaze flits between Hiroji and Mayumi before dropping back to the table, relief and confusion warring in his eye. "I'm leasing an acre of land to each applicant. The rent only becomes due if the harvest is successful, and if it is, it's only 5% of the money you make selling it on the market. Any food you keep for yourself and your immediate family is not counted." He fumbles with the information sheet about the combination of crops. "You can choose what you want to plant, subject to quotas. There are several genin running around so you can just tell one of them once you've decided."

Humming in agreement, Hiroji takes out his inkan, inks it, and presses it carefully to the contract. The seal comes away with smack. "Sounds good to me."

"Thank you," Kakashi murmurs. He moves to take back the contract but Hiroji holds it back.

The silver-haired teen looks up hesitantly. Rin's father is smiling warmly but his eyes are cold. "It's a bit overdue, but say, would you like to have dinner together?" Rin makes a noise of distress and drags her hands through her hair. Wondering if this is normal teenage angst or if it's really a disaster in the making, Sakumo narrows his eyes at Hiroji's expectant look.

Gulping, Kakashi gives the barest of nods. "I would be glad to. I can cook."

* * *

*inkan: a personal seal/stamp used in place of signatures by hand.


	68. Chapter 68

**A/N:** This chapter was probably the hardest to write so far and definitely the longest, haha. Trying to sort out their relationships was like working on a puzzle. (Yay KakaRin!)

* * *

The almost empty plates of grilled saury sit on the dining table, Kakashi and fifteen-year-old Masae on one side and Rin's parents on the other. At the end of the table, Rin-lookalike Kanae happily ignores the adults in favour of one of Kakashi's old taijutsu textbooks. The occasional giggle escapes her as she flips through the illustrations. Most of them have been vandalised into Gai's and Kakashi's likeness, along with the occasional Obito (who was always losing badly). Her simple joy at the silly additions makes wistful smiles appear on both Kakashi's and Rin's faces. Neither is Sakumo immune from nostalgia — he can only guess that this had been a Challenge before he died and Kakashi lost his humour.

"Kanae has turned into such a bookworm," Rin says approvingly as she mimes patting her five-year-old sister's head. "She's the baby of the family. And Masae," she continues fondly, "she's the second oldest but she looks older than me now, doesn't she? She's the pretty one."

When Kakashi reaches for his chopsticks, everyone except Kanae starts staring, Masae most of all. The ghosts share an amused look. He hasn't taken off his mask for the whole of dinner yet food keeps disappearing off his plate like magic. Sensing the attention on him - tangible enough to qualify as some kind of intent though not the killing variety - Kakashi clears his throat uncomfortably and reaches for his tea instead. Everyone slumps slightly in disappointment when he drinks it through his mask.

"More tea, Kakashi-san?" Masae offers sweetly when he sets down the empty cup. She already has the teapot in her hand and Kakashi is too polite to refuse, so he nods and murmurs his thanks. The stiff set to Kakashi's shoulders speaks of his discomfort with her attentiveness, though. It's something that her father has no doubt put her up to, what with all the comments he has been making about houses being more lively with more people and it never being too early to make plans for the future.

Sakumo suspects that the only reason why Kakashi hasn't already had a breakdown is because Masae looks sufficiently dissimilar to Rin, what with her long hair, pale hazel eyes, and unmarked face. That, and of course the missing edge of danger that all shinobi possess, for all that Rin never took to the front lines.

"Otou-san's always doing this," Rin sighs, unconsciously wringing her med-nin apron. Her expression had fallen slightly at Masae's attempts at ingratiation, but she hides it quickly in favour of exasperation towards her father. "I know it's difficult to support five daughters on a civilian salary but he's _always_ trying to get rid of us."

Civilian women generally become housewives or more rarely, kunoichi. If Sakumo puts aside the less altruistic motivations Hiroji might be harbouring and gives him the benefit of the doubt, Sakumo supposes Hiroji's plan to make Masae the next Lady Hatake could very well be his way of caring. Securing a well-to-do fiance or husband is such a way of ensuring a relatively safe and comfortable life in an age of chaos, after all.

It doesn't make the hurt that Rin is feeling - and most likely her sisters too - any less real though. Looking at the fault-lines in Rin's family, Sakumo can't help but wonder if he had missed the cracks in his own. Other than trying to raise Kakashi as a shinobi worth his prodigiousness so that Kakashi could have a good, respectable career... With the benefit of hindsight, it disturbs Sakumo how much of their time spent together revolved around his work or Kakashi's training. Even now, Kakashi imitates his father's workaholic lifestyle. When that fateful mission effectively destroyed the one solid connection Sakumo shared with his son, it's no wonder their relationship suddenly crumbled into a yawning chasm.

It's a little too late for himself and perhaps for Hiroji as well, so Sakumo sighs and files the thought away.

"How is reconstruction progressing in your district?" Kakashi asks Rin's parents in an attempt to steer the conversation towards a neutral topic. "Kinseki district, right?"

"Yes. They're making good progress. But we might have to move somewhere cheaper since my boss died in the attack and the business closed down... There are not too many jobs now and even fewer for the girls." Hiroji chuckles self-deprecatingly. "If only Masae can find a good husband, we won't have to worry about her future." When Kakashi smiles politely (awkwardly), Hiroji takes that as permission to push a little more. "Of course, we would be overjoyed if a family friend like Kakashi-san would consider..."

Kakashi's already strained smile falters and his gaze flickers to Masae, who only lowers her eyes demurely and fiddles with the sleeve of her kimono. "I'm sure Kakashi-san has colleagues more capable than myself," she says humbly, "but I can cook and manage a household well."

Shocked uncertainty swirls in Kakashi's grey eye as he stares at Masae.

Unable to sidestep the topic now that it has been broached so bluntly, Rin can only turn away and pretend to be distracted by Kanae's book. Despite her apparent calm, her eyes are dark with turmoil. Her feelings for Kakashi have never come up in conversation before, but in all honesty, Sakumo doesn't know what to say. What _can_ he say? He can neither encourage or comfort her. Any future they might have had dissipated like smoke in the wind the moment she died, but love is wholly divorced from logic.

Yet, her resigned acceptance of the situation only makes the sour feeling in the pit of Sakumo's stomach grow. He isn't sure how much Hiroji knows about Kakashi and Rin's relationship beyond the fact that they were teammates, but this dinner feels like a mockery of their past.

"I—" The words catch and Kakashi clears his throat. "I have no doubt Masae-san will make her future husband a very happy man... I'm not nearly as talented, I'm sure." He chuckles weakly and pretends he doesn't see Hiroji and Mayumi's subtle aura of disappointment. Masae nods her thanks and if anything, she seems relieved. "I'm afraid it's unwise for shinobi to make plans too far into the future. We were only partly recovered from the Third War when we were devastated by the Kyuubi. As a jounin of Konoha, it is my duty to protect this village." His eye curves into a happy arch that make what comes out of his mouth next all the more jarring. "It wouldn't be fair to Masae-san to commit to someone who could die any day." When Hiroji looks set to argue, Kakashi's false humour fades away. "What's more, I'm sure my presence is an unhappy reminder to all of you of Rin's death."

Rin's name crashes like a lead ball, making Mayumi flinch and Rin's head jerk up in surprise, her wide eyes fixed on Kakashi's solemn expression. The silence that envelops the room is crushing. Hiroji's face is set like stone, Masae is biting her lip hard, and even Kanae is peeking warily over the top of her book.

"I must apologise," Kakashi continues, the faintest of tremors in his voice before they are quashed. His gaze is fixed somewhere on the table between Rin's parents, and his brows are drawn tight. "I tried to find you all after the funeral, but you all had moved out of the village since the war began and I was on lockdown in view of disciplinary proceedings. And when you all moved back to Konoha, I was... too much of a coward to go up to your door."

Kakashi's ghosts watch in dismay as he stands and moves to the small space between the wall and the table. "My apology is worthless compared to your loss, but this is the least I can do," Kakashi murmurs.

"Don't!" Rin pleads when Kakashi makes to kneel, but Hiroji catches Kakashi's arm in an unmoving grip. The young shinobi looks up, his single eye wide with incomprehension. Rin reaches his side in a moment, brushing his tense shoulder with a tender touch of her hand. "Oh Kakashi," she whispers, tears falling like droplets of liquid silver when she squeezes her eyes shut.

The look on Hiroji's face is unreadable as he stares down at Kakashi, his grip still tight over the teen's arm. When he speaks, his voice is quiet and controlled. "Rin's mother was a shinobi. She died when Rin was three." Kakashi stiffens in surprise - more from the fact that Hiroji is willing to share something like this than any revelation - and Hiroji lets him go. The older man sits back down with a sigh but Kakashi stays rooted to the spot, his arm dropping back limply to his side. "I told Rin not to become a shinobi. I told her she'd die, or worse. The battlefield is no place for a girl. But she went on ahead, like a stubborn little fool. She was always wild."

Rin inhales shakily, her red-rimmed eyes tight with pain as she takes in the angry grimace on her father's lips. "And so she died," Hiroji continues, his expression falling blank and his gaze turning to the table. "If it's anyone's fault, it's her own. I was informed of the circumstances of her death, Kakashi-san."

Despite his harsh words, his anger is telling. _'He probably blames himself,'_ Sakumo realises with a flash of pity. _'He couldn't protect her even if he wanted to, and in the end she gave her life for the village like her mother did.'_ Perhaps it's the sting of failure and helplessness that makes Hiroji critical, but his words are hurting everyone, Rin most of all.

"We both loved her," Kakashi declares suddenly, the softness of his voice belying the steel hidden beneath. Looking stricken, Rin presses her hand against her mouth. "My other teammate and I, we loved her. Our team would have fallen apart long ago without her." His eyes are blazing and his shoulders set when he meets Hiroji's gaze. "She wasn't a fool. She was a hero." The intensity in Kakashi's voice makes Rin's breath catch painfully, and despite Hiroji's stoic mask, there's a sliver of emotion echoing in his eyes. "Do you know how many people she saved as a med-nin? She was in the Medical Company that supported our front line troops. That's where the shinobi go when they need their _guts_ put back into their bodies or their _arms and legs_ sewn back on. They worked 10 hour shifts for patients on hair-triggers and if the enemy broke through the front-lines, they'd all die together with us."

Kakashi laughs shakily, the horrors of war flashing behind his blown pupil. "That's not something someone can do just on a whim. It's true that the battlefield is no place for a girl. No-one should have to step into those killing fields. But she put herself forward willingly so she could protect the people she loved — _you_ and her mother and her sisters and all the people in the village. Do you think she went out there and waded through all that blood just so she could be rebellious?"

"She could have had a peaceful life is she had just listened—" Hiroji turns away, his face set once more in harsh lines.

"And so you blame her for sacrificing her happiness?" Kakashi breathes incredulously, and Rin makes a small, anguished sound. His hand claps over his hitai-ate and pushes it up. "Let me tell you about this eye." His voice shakes with emotion as the Sharingan is exposed, pitch black against blood crimson. Everyone stares for a moment in morbid fascination before Mayumi hastily stands up and herds Kanae out of the room. Masae shoots Kakashi and her father a sorry look before hurrying after them.

Kakashi barely notices it all. "This," he points at his eye with an almost violent jab, "was given to me when Obito, my other teammate, was crushed by a falling boulder. He pushed me out of the way and sacrificed himself." The three tomoes in his iris begin a slow spin as tears well and spill over his pale lashes. Only his left eye weeps. "His mother looked at the only piece of her son left and said "use Obito's eye well" because she _understood_ what kind of choice Obito made."

Kakashi's breath huffs out of him in a hollow sound of anguish that cuts straight through Sakumo. "Rin made the same choice when she died. As her father, try to understand her, please." His Sharingan slips closed and his hitai-ate is tugged down gently. Kakashi returns to his seat and drops into it with weary grace. "I am grateful, Hiroji-san, for your forgiveness. I will always be in your debt. But I won't stand for anyone putting Rin down, not even her father."

Hiroji's hand is clamped tight around the edge of the table, something akin to guilt written in the slump of his body.

His silent acknowledgement is nothing more than a drop of rain in the desert, but even that poor offering is sufficient. Rin's tear-streaked face softens with understanding and relief. "Otou-san."

* * *

 **A/N:** It's almost exam season again :'( I hate the h-word (hiatus) but yeah, that's probably going to happen... especially since right after my exams in April, I have an internship for the whole of May. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in some updates in between, but otherwise I'll be back sometime early June! :)

Man, I miss you guys already. I'm incredibly grateful for all your support — this is definitely not goodbye! :)


	69. Chapter 69

**A/N:** Wow it's June! I'VE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH, my dears D: How have you all been?

I still have one more week of my internship (extended, because I fell sick and missed a week and a half), but let's start the ball rolling again! Plot-wise it might be a little slow because there are so many details I want to cover, characters to develop, relationships to build... etc, etc, but at least the hiatus is officially over, right? :D Some of these chapters have really stumped me these past months and I continue to wrestle with others, but I'm working hard on them! If you have any feedback, ideas, complaints, anything, I'd love to chat :3

Ahem ahem. Okay let's get serious. Do enjoy~

* * *

The rain whispers across the night sky like sheets of gauze drawn over the lady moon's face, shimmering where it passes through the small circle of light cast by the ceiling light's dangling glass bulb. Kakashi sits on the edge of the veranda with a red scarf wrapped around his neck and face in lieu of his mask, a cup of tea in his hands as he stares out into the darkness. His knees are tucked to his chest, his toes curled under the end of his scarf to ward off the cold.

Behind him, the kitchen and living room are dark. After Kakashi saw Rin's family off with an apology for his temper, everything has been tidied away. The atmosphere was stilted, but the seeds of a mutual understanding have been sown. There would be other chances to improve their relationship, though, since Kakashi has offered to employ Masae as an assistant manager for the farming programme.

For all the hurt that had come pouring out tonight, it feels like a catharsis. As they sit with Kakashi, Sakumo hopes that his son will be able to feel their presence, and that it will assuage the loneliness that tinges tonight's otherwise comfortable silence.

Kakashi may be used to being alone, but meeting Rin's family tonight makes Sakumo realise that Rin is probably used to the hustle and bustle of a large family instead. Her personality would have endeared her easily with her Academy classmates, just like how she managed to charm both boys in Team Minato into working together. Even during the war, she had her fellow med-nin around her.

Spending year after year fretting over Kakashi can't be something particularly healthy, even though Sakumo can't quite seem to talk himself into "letting go" like all parents eventually have to. He left Kakashi once, too early. Distancing himself feels too much like repeating his mistakes even though it would give Kakashi some well-deserved space and privacy. It doesn't help that Kakashi's life has been marked by a string of disasters, one after the other.

But Rin should be with more friends, with vivacious people like Hyaku or Kagami, not a depressing old man like himself. The other ghosts may not like him, but Rin— she could build a life much more fulfilling than the one she has now.

Oh, there's no doubt that she's made of stern stuff. ANBU has been harsh, like Kagami had warned, but she has been more than able to stomach the vicious fights that Kakashi's missions require. Still, it has always been difficult for both of them when Kakashi has to bring out his cold-blooded side to do the dirty work. And now there is ROOT to consider too. Sakumo cannot imagine ROOT being any better than ANBU, only worse. He can't stop Kakashi from joining, but he wants to protect Rin.

Looking at her red-rimmed eyes and pinked nose, Sakumo feels his heart squeeze. "How are you holding up, Rin?"

She lifts her head and gives him a small, surprised smile. "Alright, I suppose." Her gaze drops to her feet as she tries to find the words, and Sakumo gives her the time. "Things are just so... different now. I miss the old days, when everything was so much simpler. It's hard to believe Minato-sensei and Kushina-san are gone." Her arms tighten around her legs and she looks very small. "Do you think Minato-sensei will ever be able to get out of the Shinigami?"

Sakumo suppresses a wince. "I don't know, Rin."

She sniffles a little but nods. "I just don't want him to be suffering."

"Me neither." Sakumo pulls her into a half-hug and she leans against him with another sniffle. "But if anyone can escape, it'll be Minato." Rin's clenched hands tighten and she nods firmly, her hair bobbing. They sit like that for a while, caught up in memories, before Sakumo brings up his inital worries. "...you don't have to follow Kakashi around all the time, you know?"

She looks a little uncertain at his question. "Yes...?"

"It can't be all that nice being around two gloomy Hatakes all the time."

"Ohh." Rin drags the word out, understanding lighting her eyes. "You're not gloomy." He arches a pale brow at her but she just shakes her head fondly. "These weeks have been pretty terrible, but I don't need to be around people who are smiling and laughing all the time to be happy."

"I see," Sakumo murmurs, glad that she is able to think this way.

"Actually, today's been pretty okay... e-even though it always hurts to see Kakashi blaming himself even now..." She takes a deep breath. "I've made a mess of things so many times - getting kidnapped _twice_ for goodness sake - and I'll always remember the patients I've failed to save... But Kakashi doesn't think any less of me and neither did Obito. I'm so amazed and incredibly grateful every time I see evidence of that, I..." She trails off. "Kakashi deserves someone who can remind him that he's doing well, too."

 _"Oh Rin. Always thinking of Kakashi,"_ Sakumo muses to himself, warmed by her kindness. Before he can reply though, the lightbulb above them suddenly blinks out and they are thrown into darkness, leaving them with the sound of the living room door being locked and Kakashi's retreating footsteps. "Well, that's goodnight, I suppose," he says dryly and Rin snorts softly.

Sakumo lets his arm fall away as she stands and stretches leisurely, her form a muted collage of silvery lights and shadows under the faint moonlight. "I know it's been a long day, but care for a spar, Sakumo-san?" She tilts her head towards the moonlit field and smiles. "It's been a while."

The older shinobi understands her restlessness. While Kakashi tosses and turns in fitful sleep, they can only linger in perpetual wakefulness. Sometimes they meditate and sometimes they talk, but the numb intangibility of their existence wears. So he stands and rolls up his sleeves. "Sure. Taijutsu only?"

Rin nods sharply, her teeth flashing as she grins and heads out into the open space. The thickening rain doesn't even stir her hair, but it becomes slightly harder to see her clearly. "Don't go easy on me!" she calls, "I'm going to kick your butt!" She takes up a stance, her open hands raised before her chest as she beckons him to approach. Mischief dances bright in her eyes and Sakumo can't help but chuckle at her trash-talk.

"Okay, here I come~"

Rin groans in mock exasperation even as she dodges and parries his first few light punches. "You're such a _dad_. We're not playing hide and seek!" Darting forward into his defense, she digs her heels into the ground and drives her fist towards his stomach.

Letting out a small huff of laughter, he grabs her by the arm and the waistband of her med-nin apron, twists and throws her into the air, taking advantage of his longer reach and her momentum. "Found you!"

Sent flying, she flips and pushes off the ground with her hands, landing on her feet a distance away. "Woah!" Sakumo is already there, aiming a chop to her neck that she blocks with a grunt. Quickly grabbing his wrist, she pulls him down towards herself even as she sends a roundhouse kick flying towards his head.

He's much stronger— his arm barely moves with the full strength of her blow as he blocks her foot with the back of his fist. In a flash, she snaps her foot back and drives her heel towards his abdomen in a rapid follow-up. But instead of blocking or twisting away, Sakumo takes the full brunt of the blow with a quiet "oof". At the same time, he breaks her hold on his wrist, catching her forearm instead. A strangled squeak escapes her as his other hand shoots out and taps against her neck, his thumb against the flutter of her pulse. It's a gentle touch with no pressure at all, but the potential threat is clear.

The wind howls and the rain picks up around them as he smiles mildly. "Good reflexes. But I'm not as light as Hyaku or Meiko; I can take a few blows and retaliate in the meantime."

They haven't met up with Hyaku for a while, but back in Ame, they sparred often at night just like this. The thought elicits a memory of Sugi, of how she used to watch them and ask Sakumo to explain the moves. It causes a sharp frisson of regret to run through him, but he replaces it with the hope that she has finally found peace in the Pure Lands.

Rin exhales shakily, her moment of shock turning into contemplation. "You're using your weight and height to your advantage this time. You didn't use to."

Sakumo smirks, focusing on the present again. "And I noticed you taking advantage of my soft-heartedness last time." He releases her and steps back. "But you told me to not go easy on you this time."

"Again!" Rin says happily. "That was way too fast and I have a few more tricks from Hyaku-neesan that I want to try."

"Go ahead."

She changes her fighting style immediately, forgoing the straight-on attacks and holds in favour of a fleet-footed style and a light touch. They exchange a flurry of jabs and kicks, their attacks and defenses growing swifter as they warm up. At moments, the white noise of pattering rain and the deep shadow of the night reduces the flow of their movements to pure instinct, born between one breath and the next. Sakumo has to hold himself back from the entrancing rhythm of violence, careful to limit himself to light taps in place of blows; throws where he would have otherwise held an enemy down and broken bone. It would be too easy - and far too dangerous - to fall into the mindless trance that enables him to become the killing machine he needs to be on the battlefield.

It pains him to even consider that he could seriously hurt Rin in a spar, but that's how it is. That's why he jokes and he teases. He can't afford to take this too seriously, even though he puts his best into helping Rin improve herself and he is always, always careful.

With some more work, perhaps some chakra tricks enhance her strength, Sakumo thinks she will reach tokubetsu jounin-level taijutsu easily. She's as agile as a cat, always landing safely and lightly on her hands or feet, executing a neat flip or roll before springing back at him. Despite outmatching her in both skill and experience, it is interesting to fight her too. She notices when he changes tactics and adapts accordingly, abandoning failed attempts in favour of new ones without hesitation. Her anatomical knowledge comes in handy when targeting pressure points and weak spots, and she doesn't shy away from unconventional tactics when the opportunity presents itself.

Which is why Sakumo finds himself squinting in fascination at the tiny syringe in her hand. "What did you just try to inject me with?"

Rin pouts before slipping it back into her hip pouch. "Aww, you noticed. Not telling you."

"Does it work?"

"Of course. It's just as real as your summoned tanto. Hyaku-neesan and I tested it." She smiles angelically, proud of herself.

Shaking his head with a short laugh, Sakumo makes a mental note to keep an eye out for random medical equipment. She would be a terror on the battlefield. The thought lightens his mood as he pulls out a kunai, flipping it idly in his hand. Drawing a deep breath, Sakumo takes a moment to enjoy the fresh, chilly air and the good humour between them.

"Alright?" he asks, intending to refer to the spar but accidentally roping in everything else as well.

Rin nods solemnly as she lifts her own kunai, understanding him perfectly. "Absolutely."

They clash again in a burst of orange sparks. Between the screech of metal filling his ears and the determined glint in Rin's dark eyes, half-seen through the whipping rain... _sage,_ he believes her. They'll figure it out no matter what happens next— both the two of them and Kakashi. They've just got to keep going and they'll be alright.

* * *

 **A/N:** That was unexpectedly positive :3 If you haven't gotten enough feels, I've also written some other things recently that you guys might enjoy.  
(1) A Handful of Marigolds: post-Fourth Shinobi World War Inoichi one-shot.  
(2) Strays and Traitors: ongoing Noragami story, KazuBisha.  
Thank you for sticking with me and this fic for this long!


	70. Chapter 70

**A/N:** I got a question about how breathing and pulses work for ghosts, so I thought I'd explain here too. I think of them as phantom bodily functions (okay, not ALL bodily functions because I don't think they need to go to the toilet... haha). You can analogise it to how people can have phantom sensations in missing limbs. Since Sakumo and Rin are missing their whole body, well. Physical contact between ghosts works just like it does between living people; it's only physical contact between ghosts and objects/living people that works with dubious physics.

* * *

Having received news of Snake's return via pigeon, Kakashi checks the ANBU headquarters first thing in the morning. However, when he knocks on the door to Snake's office, it clicks open to reveal Danzou instead. His chakra is suppressed to a near nullity as always. Not having sensed him around, Kakashi steps back in surprise.

"Kakashi," the elder says warmly, his face creasing in a welcoming smile.

"Danzou-sama," Kakashi murmurs, bowing. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Nonsense. Your captain and I were just discussing you."

Looking up at Danzou questioningly, Kakashi follows the elder into the office. Snake rolls her eyes dramatically from behind her desk. She's seated on her swivel chair, her feet propped up irreverently on her desk and her arms crossed before her chest. Noticing the stack of paperwork teetering alarmingly by her sandals, Kakashi automatically steps forward to move it away, splitting it into two smaller stacks as he does. "Welcome back, Snake-taichou."

She gives him a crisp nod. "Good to see you too, Hound." Turning back to Danzou, she fixes him with a belligerent glare. "Danzou- _sama_ ," she grouches with thin-lipped sarcasm. "If you're not going to do anything but stand there and pester me about impossibilities, then I suggest that you take the time to file the appropriate proposals and secondment applications instead—" She bangs a drawer open, rummages around, and slaps several forms on the table (by her feet) with a scowl. Kakashi's wide-eyed gaze bounces between Snake and Danzou in open incredulity. "Which are easily accessible from the administrative office, I would add."

Danzou takes the forms placidly despite the barely masked contempt burning in his visible eye. "Since you're the one who will be approving these applications, I thought it would be more efficient to come in person, you see," he explains.

"Well, no. If it's efficiency you're concerned about, then you shouldn't have requested for Mizuha. And if you had bothered to check the mission roster, you would have known that she is on mandatory leave."

"Very well." Danzou's tone is still astoundingly polite. "Sorry for taking up your time then." He shoots Kakashi an apologetic smile before turning to leave.

"Did he fall out of bed and hit his head?" Rin asks in amazement. "He apologised!" Snake looks similarly dumbstruck at the old war hawk's mild manner. She doesn't say anything when Kakashi hurries over to open the door and see the elder out with a bow.

"Another trick," Sakumo sighs. But at the memory of Snake's show of attitude, he can't help the small smirk of satisfaction that he tries to hide behind a cough.

The silver-haired teen leans against the closed door and turns to his captain with a look of disbelief. "Senpai, that was..."

"Creepy, wasn't it?" Snake mutters, taking her feet off the table and dusting its surface. "The moment I came back, he barged in and started bugging me about all kinds of stupid stuff. Then suddenly he's all polite." She shudders.

"That was incredibly rude, senpai."

Her head whips up, a strand of teal hair clinging to her open mouth before she flicks it away. "Oh. I suppose this is the first time you've seen us talk. I'm always like that to him."

"No wonder he hates you."

Snake winks. The hostility that had surrounded her like a thundercloud just moments ago melts away like it had never been there. "Good job sucking up to him, by the way. The contrast will make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Urgh." Kakashi's face scrunches up in disgust and Snake chuckles.

"Here, I got something for you." He snatches the small metal tin out of the air and turns it in his hands. His ghosts crowd up in interest. "It's rose tea. I tried it; it tastes great! The shopkeeper selling it said it's good for the skin, digestion, the immune system, reduces stress..." Snake counts on her fingers as she recites the benefits.

"That sounds good..."

"...decongests period flow, maintains urinary tract health, cures constipation—"

"Oh my goodness," Kakashi mutters, a flush creeping up his cheeks. She regards him with wide-eyed innocence before cracking up with guffaws. Exhaling loudly in exasperation, Kakashi hides his grin behind his mask.

"So, why are you here so early in the morning? Wanted to see you lovely senpai?"

"Yeah," Kakashi says with such sincerity that Snake blinks. "Let's go somewhere else. I need to talk to you."

They head for the Hatake estate, the only place where he can be sure that there are no ROOT agents. Kakashi descends into a brooding silence on the way, his gaze serious and distant as he keys Snake into the wards. One of his tenant's young children waves at him excitedly from the fields and he snaps out of it, waving back with a bemused eye-smile. Amused approval dances in Snake's eyes as she watches the child giggle and run back to her parents, who are busy sowing some seeds.

There's a hint of pleased, flustered pink above Kakashi's mask as he focuses on arranging his sandals neatly along the veranda. "So, what were you and Danzou discussing?"

Snake frowns as she steps into the house. "He wanted to borrow several ANBU agents for an infiltration mission to Kiri. To plant some spies and all that. It's quite difficult to cross the channel between Nami and Kiri, but apparently there's a new human trafficking ring operating in that area." She grimaces as she plops herself into a seat at the dining room table. "I'm not sending anyone there if I can help it."

"We don't have enough information on Kiri though," Kakashi notes as he takes out a pan and lights the stove.

"But do we really need it? Even if we do, it's all rumour and conjecture whether the trafficking ring can help us get close to Kirigakure itself. That's why I was so pissed. He's undermining my authority too. This is my jurisdiction, even though Hokage-sama lets him get away with unauthorised missions. If he wants to borrow my people, he'd damn well submit the proper proposals like everyone else."

Kakashi smiles at her over the open fridge door as she fumes, unmistakable fondness in his eyes. "Omelette?"

"With Danzou's chopped liver, thank you very much."

Chuckling, Kakashi ducks down to pull out various ingredients. "Sorry, I'm all out."

"I'll help you restock."

The egg goes into the pan with cheese and diced tomatoes, amongst other ingredients, and Kakashi expertly wields the spatula. Soon, two wonderfully fragrant omelettes are on the table. They dig in and Sakumo sighs, his stomach clenching with phantom hunger. Rin gives Sakumo a pitiful look. "Are you sure we can't summon food?"

"Only rations. We tried, remember?" Sakumo sighs. The dry bars are the only thing that they carried around often enough while they were still living. If only they were Akimichi; then they might have an eternal supply of chips or better.

"Good?" Kakashi asks after the first mouthful.

"Twelve out of ten would marry."

Kakashi's eyes curve into happy arches. The rest of the meal disappears quickly and Snakes nudges Kakashi away from the sink when all the dishes are piled up in the sink. "I'll do it. Can't abuse my little minion too much or you might run away."

Laughing quietly, Kakashi sits back down. His gaze softens as he stares at her back, a faint melancholy entering his expression again.

"He loves her," Rin gasps.

"What?!" Sakumo exclaims, choking on his breath as his gaze darts between Snake and Kakashi. _"They are close but... Is it the omelette? The dish-washing?"_ His mind spins frantically, thinking back to when he was trying to woo Yoriko...

"No, no, don't be so shocked. I mean, I can't read his mind and I don't think he's really all that clear about it himself, but you don't look at someone like that without being willing to die for them. Not that Kakashi wouldn't do the same for his other fellow shinobi... but my point stands." Rin waves her hands as she babbles. "It might be platonic, romantic, whatever. But he definitely cares for her very much."

"If you put it like that..." Sakumo scratches his neck, unsure how to take this new realisation. It isn't like he has some strict criteria for Kakashi to follow, but this is all too soon.

Patting Sakumo's arm comfortingly, Rin nods. "Congratulations on your teenager."

"You're a teen too," Sakumo points out, but she just giggles.

"There you go!" Snake sets the plates on the drying rack overhead and snatches up a tea towel to wipe her hands. She turns and pauses. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

 _"See?"_ Rin mouths to Sakumo, her eyebrows raised.

Sakumo shakes his head in defeat as they settle down to listen. _"Kakashi... If it's like this, what are you going to do with Danzou's instructions?"_

Kakashi has averted his eyes. "I..."

Concerned now, Snake sits down and leans forward over the table. "What's wrong?"

He turns to look out of the window, unable to meet her intense stare. "I just wish that things could be like this forever."

"That's unexpectedly sentimental of you." Mildly confused, she crosses her arms and sits back. The tea towel lays on the table, crumpled and forgotten.

An embarrassed laugh escapes him. "It is, isn't it? It's just..." He swallows heavily, his eyes flicking to her and away again. "I don't even know your name. I don't know anything about you. But this is nice, just like this."

Her frown deepens. "Kakashi..."

He shakes his head, the premature crease under his eye deepening as he expression tightens. "Danzou told me to kill you."

Snake's eyes grow wide.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry hahaha... I know most of you are KakaRin shippers, but I couldn't resist putting that in. Nothing's going to come of it though. You can interpret it however you want, but it's definitely platonic from Snake's side. Author's authority.

Next chapter should be next weekend :)


	71. Chapter 71

**A/N:** Warnings (mild spoilers!)

Discussions of murder and arson, mentioned non-consensual drug use, descriptions of old injuries/scars, implied abuse, coarse language.

Reader discretion advised! If any of this is triggering, please take care.

* * *

He tells her everything and she listens in quiet contemplation, frowning.

"I know I promised him I'd join ROOT, but it's not too late to back out. He's asking too much. I'm sorry for even considering it, senpai." His shoulders slump in contrition but she waves his apology aside.

"Hatsue. That's my name if you want to use it."

Kakashi brightens. "Hatsue," he echoes, obviously not having expected anything to come out from his comment earlier.

"If I'd known that this would make you so happy, I'd have told you earlier," she sighs as she rests her chin on the pillow of her palm. "Tch. Trust Danzou to make an issue of it. I hate it when he's right."

"It's strange that no-one uses your name."

"It's inconvenient and full of bad memories." Kakashi's face falls and she shrugs. "Remember what I said to you about wanting to be someone else?" Her lips twist unhappily. "Here, look at this."

She holds out her arm, palm down against the table, and chakra begins to ripple along her skin as her Henge fades away. Kakashi's eyes widen as formerly smooth skin turns into a mess of scars, ropy and thick at some parts and pale and fragile at others.

 _"They're burns,"_ Sakumo realises. _"Very severe burns."_ She must have gotten them a long time ago— they lack the raw, reddish look of recent wounds, even though they are too obvious to be considered faded in any sense. The skin is drawn tightly enough over the flesh and bone beneath to prevent her from moving her fingers freely. Rin winces in sympathy and Sakumo hopes against hope that it was caused by something as trivial as a Katon gone wrong.

"Disgusting isn't it?" Snake says with practiced nonchalance, as if she is talking about a stranger she does not particularly like. "The med-nins did an amazing amount of healing, but this was the best that even they could do. My whole body was burnt; not just my arm. For the months afterward, I couldn't even move properly, much less be a shinobi. I was in tremendous pain every moment." A sad smile, tinged with guilt, crosses her face and she looks down at the warped web of scars on her arm. "My sensei was an Uzumaki med-nin sent over to Konoha to help with the war effort. He developed the permanent Henge seal for me.

"Those days... He - and later, your mother - were the only ones who I had. _My own father_ ," her voice turning bitter, "did this to me. Fucking possessive psycho couldn't accept that my mother was leaving him. He waited until I was back from Suna before drugging us and burning the house down with us in it." There's a sharp intake of breath from Kakashi and horror overtakes her audience.

Sakumo vaguely remembers news of something like this during his early twenties— a civilian woman who had been murdered by her husband, leaving behind an injured daughter. The man wasn't the violent sort (for a shinobi, anyway). He was just a chuunin admin officer, introverted but friendly enough according to those who knew him. The village buzzed about the incident for a few days, shocked that someone like that would do something so terrible, but soon any concern was carried away by the tide of deaths that the Second Shinobi World War continued to bring day by day.

Pity shoots through Sakumo as he takes in Snake's tightly controlled expression.

True to her skill as an infiltration expert, when she looks up again there is a careless smile on her face. Sakumo would have believed it if not for the faint, lingering pain at the corner of her eyes. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. If my Henge fails for any reason, don't scream your head off."

Kakashi is lost for words.

She turns away, withdrawing her hand as the glow of chakra prepares to smooth over her skin. It falls away again in a startled ripple of energy when Kakashi's hand shoots out and clasps tightly over hers. Snake stares at him with shock in her eyes before her gaze drops to their hands.

"It's not disgusting," Kakashi says urgently, so stubborn and sweetly earnest that tears spring to her eyes. His thumb traces over ruined skin in an unconscious, comforting gesture. "It looks terrifyingly painful and I absolutely despise your father for doing this to you, but it's not your fault, senpai. His actions may have marked your skin and your past, but you have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide."

Her breath hitches and she turns to the side, blinking rapidly. Kakashi gives her hand a squeeze, waiting silently as she composes herself.

"You're a good kid, Kakashi," she says finally, her voice rough. "After all I've said and done to you... you still believe in me so much." She looks up, her smile wavering into something cold and haunted. "Danzou wasn't lying. I hated my father so much. My sensei was by my side but I pushed him away because I knew he would disapprove of my desire for a bloody revenge. When Danzou offered me the opportunity to make that man suffer in return for a joining ROOT, I thought someone finally understood the depth of my pain." She laughs hollowly. "That man was on death row already. I should have just left things alone, but I broke into his cell and... did what I wanted. It was all so pointless in the end, but it hung over me for years. Every time I tried to leave ROOT, Danzou would threaten to expose me. He assured me no-one would believe me, that I would be punished, that I would die for what I had done. It took me years before I decided I'd rather die than stay in ROOT for another day."

 _"So that was her?"_ Sakumo muses with deep unease as he examines the memory that her story had elicited.

That night has been imprinted in his brain vividly for years, shocked as he was at the rare glimpse of his wife's fury. Just weeks after their wedding, he and Yoriko were woken up by the scalding wash of chakra up against the wards of the Hatake estate, chakra that had been tinged with desperation and pain. They threw their clothes on and ran, unheeding of the rain and the sucking mud beneath their feet, across the fields and to the front gate. The screams were ringing in their ears even before they managed to reach the gate; desperate, animal sounds that should have been left behind together with the war.

"Yoriko-taichou!" begged the voice, choked off often and interspersed with the sound of struggle and cursing. _"Yoriko-taichou!_ "

He threw the gate open and his wife rushed out, her chakra a dark cloud capable of rivaling the thundering sky. "What is this?!" Yoriko shouted as Sakumo followed a step behind, the weight of their blades heavy on his hip.

The young woman that had been pinned under several ANBU stopped writhing and slumped, her wide eyes flashing with relief as Yoriko stalked forward, unarmed but dangerous all the same. The ANBU said something, something Sakumo can't remember, but he recalls clearly the mud streaked on the young woman's pale, bruised cheek and the hope shining in her glistening hazel orbs. As she reached out to his wife, her chest heaving with sobs, blood seeped from her grazed palms sluggishly.

Yoriko reached out to help her up - careful not to aggravate the wounds on her hands - only to freeze at the finger-shaped bruises that had been pressed into paper-white skin.

Sakumo never found out what happened to the young woman after Yoriko swept her up with the fierceness of a mother wolf protecting her cub. With only an apologetic meeting of his gaze, she had disappeared for days on end.

"ANBU," she murmured when she returned, her fingers cold against his cheek and her shuddering breath against his neck. With that one word he knew the conversation was closed, but he'd held her tightly, his hand splayed against her ribs to feel her heartbeat. "Sorry, my dear."

"Senpai..." Kakashi murmurs, drawing Sakumo back to the present.

 _"Just what had been going on in ROOT?"_ He looks at Snake with new eyes, seeing the smothered desperation in her frame and little of her bravado.

The ANBU captain's mouth pinches into a thin line as she regards Kakashi solemnly. "Don't waste your sympathy on me. Learn from my mistakes. The way he threatened me is one of his favourite tactics. He's trying to do the same to you, do you see?"

Kakashi nods slowly, reluctantly letting her move the conversation on. "By getting me to kill you."

"Yes. When you don't have blackmail, you create it."

There's a moment of hesitation before she withdraws her hand from under Kakashi's, her Henge turning it whole and unblemished again. She clasps her hands before her. "But Kakashi, there are some things you deserve know." Taking a deep breath, she meets his questioning gaze. "From the very beginning, I wanted you to go up against Danzou. It was one of the reasons why I took you on as my protégé. By then, I had long realised that it was impossible for me to do it alone."

Staring at her warily, Kakashi dips his chin in a nod again. "...it's alright."

A sliver of guilt crosses her face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for dragging you down with me." He tries to protest but she halts him with a shake of her head. "Kakashi, from the moment Danzou revealed ROOT to you, it was either join or die. You already know he is testing you. If he can't be certain of the amount of power he holds over you, whether it is loyalty, blackmail or something more crude like one of those silencing seals, you become an enemy that he'll do anything to ruin."

"But what about you? You've been going against him for years and you're still here."

She runs her hand through her hair sheepishly. "Well, this is the other reason why I don't use my name. The person Koshima Hatsue is supposed to be in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility for breaking into ANBU holding facilities, murdering a certain man there, and after a number of years, defamation of various elders and the Hokage, housebreaking and attempted murder of Danzou, ecetera, ecetera." Kakashi's eyebrows have disappeared under his hitai-ate. "There's also treason and various miscellaneous false charges like spying to top things off." Shaking her head, she sighs. "This is why I don't have a social life or a house or a bank account. I keep all my pay in a stupid tin can. The only reason I'm working for ANBU instead of rotting in a cell is because the Hokage believed me when I told him about ROOT. If not for your mother defending me, he might not have believed me at all. In the end, he could sneak me out of prison and give me a job, but he couldn't clear my charges. Danzou produced a lot of evidence both real and fake. Meanwhile, I couldn't even prove the existence of ROOT; not when my credibility as a witness was completely shot."

"That's terrible," Kakashi murmurs.

"That's why I said it's join or die." She straightens in a burst of movement, her eyes lighting with fervour. "But this is also a golden opportunity! Always choose to die later. We can make something good come out of this by having you join ROOT under the best circumstances we can manufacture."

Her words are like iced water down Sakumo's back, scraping down his nerves and making his breath seize.

"No," Rin breathes.

Movements stiff, Kakashi crosses his arms. "I've already made myself clear: I won't kill you."

"Not even if it means giving up the opportunity to save other ROOT agents like me?" she asks sharply.

The ghosts wince and a strange mix of betrayal and shame twists Kakashi face. "That's not fair, senpai," he grits out.

Snake's expression softens. "I'm sorry, I really am. I know this is unforgivably selfish, but do this for me, please? I've been struggling all my life to destroy ROOT and as much as it hurts to admit this, I lost my chance all those years ago. But _you,_ Kakashi, _you can_. I need you to help me." Her voice gentles into a plea. "Please. No one else can do this."

* * *

 **A/N:** That "always choose to die later" line is paraphrased from one of my lovely reader's reviews, although I may have taken it out of context :P


	72. Chapter 72

**Warnings:** attempted justification of murder/assisted suicide by character.

* * *

"Hear me out," Snake whispers, and Kakashi, that incurably soft-hearted boy, bows his head in reluctant acceptance.

A sad smile flits across her lips as she lifts two fingers. "Two things. Firstly, without support from someone outside, it's extremely difficult if not near impossible for anyone to break free of brainwashing. It would be easier, of course, if you gain their trust as a member of ROOT before trying to provide an alternative, non-Danzou perspective. Of course, this will be extremely difficult to pull off without Danzou kicking you out completely. Secondly, I'm a nobody, but you're a clan head, Kakashi. You have a right to sit in the Council of Clans and speak on equal footing with Danzou. The more clan heads you can convince that Danzou is a threat, the more likely the Council of Clans will pass a resolution to restrain and investigate him."

Kakashi scowls. "But a resolution from the Council of Clans isn't enough. Clan heads, elders and the Hokage have legal immunity from prosecution, and Danzou is _both_ the Head of the Shimura clan and an elder. We'll need two out of three votes in order to push for an official investigation. Can you imagine Utatane or Mitokado voting against Danzou? No. Neither will the Hokage."

Even though Konoha is represented by the Hokage alone, its governing system actually consisted of three "branches"*: the Hokage himself, the Council of Elders, and the Council of Clans. After all, Konoha was founded as an alliance of clans, not via conquest.

"The Council of Elders and the Hokage will of course be a problem," Snake admits, "but if there is enough evidence and testimony, the Hokage won't go against the Council of Clans blindly. If he does—"

"—he will lose their support," Kakashi finishes with a grimace. "Even if that's possible, how do I even convince all those ROOT agents and clan heads to listen to me? I haven't claimed the Hatake seat ever since my father died. How am I supposed to rally all of them against someone so established? What more, why would the ROOT agents loyal to Danzou even consider what I'm saying? I'm not popular. I'm not Minato-sensei."

"You're not," Snake agrees, her voice low as she leans forward. "But you have your own charisma. Give yourself some credit. Your team loved you despite your brattiness." A helpless, disbelieving "hah" escapes Kakashi, but Sakumo is glad that he doesn't deny it. "Your Eternal Rival stalks you everywhere. There are ANBU who are your fans after seeing your restraint during that big welcome fight we organised. The civilians whom you have given your land call you 'Hatake-sama'. And me... you've made me trust you."

Hanging his head, Kakashi hides his eyes behind the spiky fall of his hair. His hands curl tightly into the loose fabric of his trousers.

Sakumo fixes a hard gaze on Snake. This entire conversation doesn't sit right with him. There are too many unknowns and too much risk. Everything hinges on Kakashi alone and Snake... She already knows how abusive ROOT's environment is and yet, she is encouraging Kakashi to step right into the lion's den. Sakumo doesn't know if he should be accusing her of manipulation as well.

"I can teach you how to recognise his tactics," Snake continues quietly. "You're already trained in infiltration. Even if he suspects anything, he's practically bending over backwards to recruit you. That gives you some leverage even if it's small. As much as Danzou would be using you, you can use him back as well—"

"I don't want to do this."

Her jaw snaps shut.

"I don't want to lose you," he chokes out, his eyes squeezed shut and his brow furrowed deeply. "You're the only one who makes me look forward to the next day anymore."

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," Snake murmurs, but the dispassionate argument that she puts forth next makes Sakumo and Rin flinch. "But if you think about it, there's no difference between this and the people we were prepared to kill back in Ame in order to maintain our cover. It's just another mission."

" _Just another mission?_ " Kakashi barks, his eyes blazing as he lifts his head. "That's ROOT speaking! Your life is not _just_ another mission! Why aren't you considering other options? There are corpse dolls—"

"But he has my DNA—"

"Or we could run away—"

"They'll hunt us down—"

"Or let's just let Danzou do his best to ruin me, then!" Kakashi yells, his voice echoing in the silence. Chin held high in challenge even as his chest heaves with emotion, Kakashi turns his heel and begins walking away. "I'm not doing this," he declares.

The former ROOT agent leaps out of her chair and grabs his arm. "Listen, Kakashi—"

"Get _off_ me," Kakashi growls through bared teeth, snapping his arm to the side. "If you've ever cared for me at all, you wouldn't make me do this." He jerks his arm near violently again, unwilling to throw a punch but too angry to stop struggling. She reaches out in an attempt to anchor him down, but he slaps her hand away. A wounded sound bubbles from his throat. "But that's all I am aren't I? Just blood to spill so you can take a chance at bringing him down."

She lets him go as if she had been burnt, face ashen. "That's not true."

His glare crumples into something raw and vulnerable the moment before he turns his back again, hunching into himself. "I need some time alone."

He disappears in a shunshin, leaving Snake to stare at the empty dining room.

* * *

After an afternoon spent busy with his tenant-farmers, Gakuto, and Masae, who Kakashi assigned as Gakuto's assistant, Kakashi visits the orphanage.

Situated on the outskirts of the village, the Konoha Orphanage is an economical wooden structure with a large common area for eating, playing and learning. Around the common area, the majority of the space is divided up into bedrooms and a few nurseries. Each bedroom is shared by about four children of a mix of ages such that the older ones can help take care of the younger. Given the recent war and the Kyuubi attack, the orphanage is rather packed despite its considerable size and short-staffed too. The wardens are mostly civilian women, though there are a few retired shinobi here and there.

For now, it's dark and quiet. It's way past bedtime and the children have all been sent off to bed.

Kakashi strolls along the building, peering through windows before zeroing in on the chakra signatures of the ANBU guarding Naruto. Giving their hiding place a nod, he scales the wall and tries the tiny window beneath the eaves. It's locked. The evening chill of the deepening autumn would have been too much for the delicate babes, even with the soft blankets tucked cozily around each of them.

Breath misting the glass as he sighs, Kakashi leaps back onto the ground and heads for the slightly ajar window several rooms down. Rin and Sakumo go inside first, phasing through the wall with ease like they have on previous visits, and Kakashi comes slipping through the door within moments. The heater's warmth wraps around them like cloud and Rin sighs soundlessly in relief.

There are about fifteen babies sleeping in two rows of cots, all of them under one year old. Kakashi wanders down the rows with silent footsteps, consternation written in the line of his brow as he peers at each tiny bundle of blankets. "Hey, Naruto," Kakashi whispers softly when he finally finds the tiny, whiskered child, and the ghosts crowd around too. He reaches out a finger and brushes it through downy blonde fluff, jerking back slightly when Naruto snuffles in his sleep. "How are y—"

The snap of a lock bolting in place has Kakashi spinning, a kunai whistling through the air as he places himself protectively before Naruto. Even so, foreign chakra washes over the room, parting around Kakashi but sending the rest of the room's occupants into a light sleep.

The kunai had embedded itself into the soft wood of the door with a 'thunk', scant centimeters away from the neck of the ANBU member who had tilted his head away. Greyish-brown strands of hair from his short pony tail tumbles from the edge of the kunai onto his shoulder, but he seems completely unperturbed. Kakashi doesn't move an inch from his position as the man reaches over his shoulder and plucks out the kunai, his sleeveless uniform only emphasising his thickly muscled arms.

The mask covering his face is... disturbing, especially in the dark. Curling green lines border a set of large painted eyes with bottomless eyeholes and dark green irises. It isn't a design or style that Sakumo has seen amongst the ANBU. _"ROOT, then?"_

"Why do you visit when he won't remember you?" the man asks in a rumbling voice.

Kakashi immediately bristles. "Is that a threat?"

The man pauses. "No." It's a statement, flat and unnuanced. "My apologies," he adds like an afterthought. He holds out the kunai as an offering, hilt first.

Suspicion not abating one bit, Kakashi steps forward to take the weapon before moving back to shield Naruto again. Kakashi gives the intruder his full attention, but not before sparing a quick glance at the baby and laying a hand against his chest to make sure he was still breathing.

"Danzou-sama would like an update on your progress."

The young jounin's expression falls blank. None of this morning's turmoil shows. "My captain returned just today."

"Danzou-sama knows. But since you brought her to the Hatake estate, some progress must have been made."

The kunai glints in the thin stream of moonlight as Kakashi tucks it back into his thigh holster, buying time to phrase his answer. "It is too risky to complete my mission inside the village. I will have to find an official mission, for the two of us only, as a cover before I can do anything. This will take some time. Please send my apologies to Danzou-sama."

The ROOT agent nods. "Understood. ROOT will aid you in finding a suitable mission. Are you facing any other difficulties?"

"No," Kakashi replies shortly. "Though I would appreciate it if you do not approach me or Naruto in this manner again."

"...I apologise. I will restrain my curiousity in the future." With a shallow bow, the man unlocks the door, dispels the jutsu, and disappears down the hallway. Kakashi stares after him in discomfited incredulity.

Kakashi hadn't been complaining about _curiosity._

"I thought all ROOT agents would be like Snake or Otsu, but he really doesn't have social skills, does he?" Rin observes. The idea that ROOT agents have anything close to a social life seems laughable to Sakumo. Not when there are things to kill and people to stalk. Vaguely, he wonders if he should be more sympathetic.

Saving ROOT agents is a pretty, pretty dream, but things are never so simple.

Shaking his head, Kakashi turns back to Naruto. His face lights up in a relieved smile when he finds his sensei's only child blinking up at him with sleepy blue eyes. "Don't worry Naruto," he whispers, "Nii-san's here to protect you."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Kakashi freezes, conflict raging back to life in his eyes.

 _"If he goes up against Danzou, he'll probably never see Naruto again,"_ Sakumo thinks. He tries to imagine, instead, Kakashi and Snake on the run with Naruto passed between them and the ANBU on their heels. It's simply not feasible. They'd have a better chance of surviving if they hid behind the Hatake wards and never left its boundaries.

Naruto gurgles in a subdued manner and kicks his feet, watery eyes fixed on Kakashi but not understanding the young shinobi's struggle.

"I can't run away from this, can I?" Kakashi says on a rattling sigh. "I have to succeed. Otherwise I'll never be able to protect you." A silver droplet falls on the sheets beside Naruto's hand and the baby boy scrunches his face up, tears welling in his eyes too. "Oh, don't cry, Naruto, don't cry," Kakashi shushes him, forcing a smile. "Nii-san's alright."

Convinced, Naruto's expression clears and he snuffles again, wrinkling his nose and waving his hands.

Kakashi caresses his cheek with a thumb and lets Naruto grab at his hand. His smile softens into something more genuine as he bends down to brush a kiss over Naruto's forehead. "Goodnight."

* * *

*Ah, the good ol' separation of powers. Heavily bastardised, of course.

 **A/N:** Kakashi killing Snake is really quite messed up. I don't really think it's (morally) justified, even though how Snake would die was one of the first things I decided when I introduced her T^T

Naruto is a premature baby so his eyes still aren't that developed + the room is dark, so he didn't really notice Sakumo and Rin :)


	73. Chapter 73

Warning: medical discussion written by a non-doctor :P

* * *

"How long has this been happening, Hound-sama?" the Hyuuga med-nin asks. Her disappointed tone makes Kakashi squirm in his seat on the padded examination table. Beside her, Rin has her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "Unless you're honest with me, I can't put you back on the ANBU duty roster."

"Weeks."

"And how many weeks?"

"...at least three."

Her dark brows pinch in a frown. "You should have come to us earlier, Hound-sama. This could be serious."

"It went away by itself in the past though—" Kakashi's mouth snaps shut when the med-nin gives him a pointed look. Her pupil-less eyes almost seem to glow, and Sakumo is impressed by the effectiveness of her stare. His stubborn, die-hard ANBU of a son deflates like a popped balloon.

"Just how often have you been experiencing palpitations and an irregular heartbeat, Hound-sama?"

Kakashi waves his hand feebly. "Not often... The first time was when I was er, five or six, I think. Then a few times after that when I was... stressed."

 _"Just after I died,"_ Sakumo realises, his mouth twisting with self-recrimination.

Rin pats his arm, sympathetic.

The Hyuuga sighs, her stern expression easing a little. "You should know better than to hide it or self-diagnose. Symptoms like yours can range from mere stress to heart disease."

Kakashi gives her a meek "of course".

Satisfied that Kakashi now understands the gravity of the situation, the Hyuuga nods. "I'm going to put my hands on your shoulders and do a chakra examination of your organs, is that alright?" At his nod, she does so. Her hands glow with mint-green chakra and she shuts her eyes in concentration.

The silver-haired jounin twitches nervously— probably sensing her chakra as it slips in alongside his own.

"Follow my breathing, Hound-sama," she murmurs, her eyes still closed. "It'll help synchronise our chakra... yes, good."

The room becomes quiet. Only the buzz of the heater and the soft, steady sound of their breathing is present. Outside the sealed window, the wind valiantly attempts to pluck away a dried leaf caught under the edge of a muntin, the struggle playing out silently. Gradually, Kakashi relaxes as he watches the leaf flutter like a tiny flag, its fiery-red colour a sharp contrast against the bright blue sky.

"Alright." She pulls away, frowning softly as she heads towards the corner of the room to wash her hands, as per protocol. "Your blood pressure is abnormally high for someone of your age, although it doesn't seem to have caused any damage for now. If it comes and goes, it is likely due to the stress you mentioned. I would like you to monitor your blood pressure - I'll teach you a jutsu for that - to see whether it corresponds to any stress you might be feeling." She turns back to him, her pale lavender eyes serious. "As for your irregular heartbeat, it could be caused by the high blood pressure, but also because of your use of Raiton. From what I understand, your Chidori supercharges electricity around your hand?"

"Up my whole arm, actually."

"Hmm. Well, I would recommend keeping the flow of electricity away from your torso as much as you can. Whole-body Raiton techniques should naturally be avoided if possible, since they are the most likely to interfere with the electrical impulses of the heart. I'll teach you a jutsu to correct a misfiring, to be used for emergency situations only. In all other instances, please come back to us."

"Yes ma'am."

The med-nin smiles. "Do try to destress. I understand it is easier said than done, but take some time to relax and meditate. The Nidaime said this: you have to calm the storm inside before you can walk on water." She catches Kakashi's grimace and tuts. "Now, none of that. I know it sounds airy-fairy, but I imagine the Nidaime must have struggled with it himself— that's why he came to this conclusion. Counselling sessions have been becoming more popular as well. We have a walk-in programme, no appointment needed. It's really just a chat between shinobi who understand what the work is like. If you want to take it to the bar, I'm sure Inoichi-san would be happy to oblige." She puts her hand her mouth conspiratorially and lowers her voice. "Though in your case, he'd probably try to cook for you."

Kakashi lifts a skeptical eyebrow but the Hyuuga nin just continues to smile cheekily.

"I'll die if he's the culinary disaster the rumours suggest he is," Kakashi remarks dryly. "It's a miracle that his daughter isn't starving."

The Hyuuga nin lets out a tinkling laugh. "Not on Chouza-san's watch. Though I assure you Inoichi-san is perfectly competent with his work. Now, here's your medical cert. You'll be on mandatory leave for the next three weeks. No arguing, Hound-sama."

Kakashi rolls his eyes in reply. "What now?" the young Hatake asks when she pulls over a chair and sits down before him.

"I just wanted to check if you have been noticing or seeing anything strange, lately." Sakumo regards her with surprise and Rin raises her eyebrows. The med-nin's delicate tone suggests that it is a sensitive topic.

Discomfort skitters over Kakashi's expression before it is pushed away. "Like what?"

She hums. "Well, blackouts, hallucinations, voices?" Rin and Sakumo shoot each other alarmed looks.

Kakashi straightens, wary. "Why do you ask that? Is it something genetic?"

"Oh no. It's an unexplained phenomenon that occurs randomly," she gives him an apologetic look. "During the examination earlier, I noticed something that we call a Benign Chakra Connection to Nowhere or BCCN for short. It is nothing more than a fluctuation of chakra that's so small you'd probably never sense it at all unless you went searching. From what we've observed, it occurs in people who have suffered a loss of close family members or friends."

"So they've noticed us," Sakumo murmurs thoughtfully.

Expression shuttering, Kakashi drops his gaze to his hands. "And I'm the poster child for that, I suppose," he chuckles humourlessly.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up, Hound-sama. I just wanted to know if you're experiencing any of these symptoms, so we can better help you if it's bothering you at all."

Kakashi lifts his head and eye-smiles. "Maa— it's okay. I understand. But this isn't something you need to worry about."

The Hyuuga looks at him closely. "I trust you'll know when and where to seek help, Hound-sama. Now, about the jutsus I promised to show you..."

* * *

"BCCN, huh." Kakashi huffs to himself as he lowers himself into his four hundredth push-up. Sweat collects at the spiky ends of his fringe, wobbling for a moment before dripping into the Forest of Death's grass carpet. Kakashi lifts himself again, arms shaking as he lets out a grunt of exertion. Deeming his routine finished with a sigh, he flops onto his back and throws his arm over his eyes, limbs akimbo on the soft grass.

Somewhere in the bushes, something moves. Seated by her teammate's side, Rin turns and squints suspiciously at the undergrowth. Kakashi doesn't stir; content in the knowledge that his ninken will warn him of any approaching danger. Now, they are probably having a blast exploring the forest's rich scents or terrorising some poor innocent beast.

Reaching up to push his damp hitai-ate up, Kakashi lets his Sharingan swirl to life as he glances about the forest's overgrown vegetation. Eventually, he casts his gaze towards the thick canopy of leaves and branches arching stories above him. "Hey," Kakashi whispers haltingly, "are any of you at the end of this connection? Minato-sensei? Kushina-san? Don't worry, Naruto's growing up well..." Uncertainty chokes up his voice as he continues. "Are you angry, Obito? I'm so sorry. I've only managed to show you so many terrible things and not much good at all. And ah, Rin. I don't want to forget your smile, so don't stop haunting me, please."

"Haunting you...?" Rin gasps.

Sakumo thinks his heart might be breaking all over again when Kakashi stretches out his hand towards the sky, letting the thin rays of sunlight filter through his fingers. "Otou-san... can you hear me?" His Sharingan swirls and warps between tomoes and lines, flickering together with his chakra. "I-if you've been watching over me... stay a little while longer."

"Of course." Sakumo's voice is barely audible as he reaches for Kakashi hand. "Son, I—"

So abruptly that he startles, Kakashi draws back his hand and claps both palms over his face with a muffled sound of old grief and frustration. "Idiot! You complete moron, Kakashi!" He gives himself several hard slaps that make his ghosts wince. "They're _dead_! Stop, stop, stop, Kakashi, _just stop_. Before they put you on antipsychotics!"

Panting, he slowly curls up until he is lying on his side, his bent arm over his face again and his fingers wound into the short strands of silver at the back of his head.

Sakumo drops his hand back to his side, a myriad of emotions swirling inside him as he watches Rin pet Kakashi's hair, her hand gentle. He feels like he is standing at the meeting place of two opposing currents, one of the living and one of the dead, about to be dragged down by the whirlpool that has formed between them.

Where does it reach? Where does it end?

As if to add to the poignancy of the thought, Pakkun comes trotting into view with a rustle of leaves, a white rabbit gripped in his small jaws. It's larger than he is, feet tailing in the grass and blood-red eyes glassy in death. "Boss?" the pug calls around his mouthful of fur. His wrinkled face even more so than usual. "What happened?"

"Just being stupid," Kakashi mutters, glancing up when Pakkun deposits the rabbit by his head. He wrinkles his nose as the smell of blood assaults him. The hitai-ate goes over his Sharingan again and Kakashi rubs at his face. "I _was_ going to feed you all, you know." He runs his fingers through the soft white fur contemplatively. "I hope you didn't kill someone's pet."

Pakkun rears back, snorting. "I wouldn't have attacked it if it were, trust me. Boss, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kakashi deflects, sitting up and brushing his clothes off studiously. "What do you want for dinner? Steak?"

" _Steak!_ " comes a distant howl, quickly joined by several others. A shadow of a smile tugs at the corner of the teen's lips and Sakumo bends down to pet the tiny pug in thanks. Man's best friend indeed. When Snake is gone, Kakashi will still have his ninken by his side.

"He'll have Gai at his back too," Rin adds, as if reading his mind. She looks up, her gaze steady as always, and Sakumo imagines the bottomless whirlpool beneath his feet gentling into lapping waves.

"Yes, him too," he agrees with a small smile back.

* * *

"Three weeks," Kakashi announces when he opens the door to Snake's office.

"What?" she asks uncomprehendingly, lifting her face from the spotlight that her lamp shines onto her paperwork-piled desk. There are dark circles beneath her eyes and her long-sleeved jounin shirt looks rumpled, as if she had slept in it. The pale overhead lights don't do her any favours.

Not that Kakashi is any better, smelling of steak and trousers grass-stained at the knees. He pulls out the medical cert and puts it on her desk, smoothing out the slightly crumpled piece of paper for her. "I will only be on active duty after three weeks. Let's make the most of the time we have."

She stares at the paper with blank tiredness for a minute before the pieces click and her lips part with shock. "Kakashi?"

"I'm sorry." Before she can ask anything, he barrels on with a ramrod straight spine and eyes fixed on the desk. "I said some harsh things yesterday. I don't want to spend the rest of our time avoiding each other."

"You're going through with it," she whispers, and Kakashi smiles mirthlessly.

"I've decided to become stronger in order to protect my precious people. If I have to turn Konoha around in order to do that, I'll do it."

A spark of pride bursts through the drowning sadness swimming in her eyes and Sakumo feels so very much the same. Even Rin gives a wavering smile. It won't be sorrow or grief that carries Kakashi through the coming days, but this. _This,_ a pure hope for the future.

Kakashi holds himself stiffly when she rounds the table and embraces him, but he slowly relaxes and wraps his arms around her as well.

"When have you gotten this tall?" she chuckles brokenly against his shoulder; and it's true, they're the same height now. His grip around her waist tightens minutely. "And you've become such a gentleman too."

After a long moment, she steps back and he lets her go, his hands loosening much too slowly to be anything but reluctance.

 _"Touch starved"_ is the phrase that springs to Sakumo's mind, because no matter how much his son prefers to avoid physical contact, it doesn't mean he is immune.

Brushing Kakashi's cheek along the line of his mask, Snake smiles faintly. "With resolve like that, what can stand in your way? Even Konoha will be yours."

Making a vague noise in his throat, he slips his hand over hers and holds the warmth of her palm against his face, head bowed and eyes closed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Poor Kakashi. He doesn't want Konoha. He just wants his senpai, friends and family.

Also, thank you to my readers who have prodded me about why no one seems to have noticed the ghosts' interference. Now they have! ;D And now Kakashi also thinks he's seeing things.


	74. Chapter 74

**A/N:** If you all recall, some time ago I asked whether Naruto should be able to see ghosts :) Thanks to everyone who responded! After reviewing your responses, the answer will be YES :) Theory wise, it will be because of the shard of Minato's chakra left in Naruto.

I kept forgetting to let you all know, oops.

* * *

Sakumo isn't sure why he's here, seated on top of one of the Konoha library's wide wooden shelves as part of what he dubs as the "Dead Shinobi Alliance". _"No wonder we haven't seen much of Kagami and Hyaku lately,"_ Sakumo muses, noting the various hitai-ates present in the rough circle they had formed. Just getting word out for this meeting must have been a nightmare.

There are several representatives for each major village and several other minor villages as well, including Ame, either floating about or seated on one of the shelves. Rin had been excited to see Yahiko again, in Konoha no less, but she had not been invited to participate in this meeting. If Kagami had not insisted that Sakumo attend, together with Hyaku, Kara, and two other ANBU, Sakumo would have excused himself as well. Kakashi and Snake are probably working out the details of their plan now, as they have been for the past week under the guise of paperwork or some other mission needing planning.

Sakumo wonders if he is a prop, an example of Konoha's capabilities, meant to lend extra weight to Kagami's words. Thankfully, while Kagami hadn't asked him to keep quiet, he hadn't asked Sakumo to say anything either. While the elder Hatake understands politics just as well as any other clan head, it is neither his forte nor his interest. Any hot-blooded battle would be better than this painful to-and-fro.

Schooling his expression, Sakumo focuses on maintaining his mask of attentiveness. The death glares of the Suna-ANBU opposite him stopped triggering his defensive instincts two hours ago and he is steadily losing track of the head Iwa ambassador's endless waffling. Even Yahiko, who has enthusiasm on par with Kagami, meets Sakumo's gaze and subtly rolls his eyes. Sakumo tries to convey his amusement without moving his face too much, in case the Iwa-nin glances his way.

But it is not as if they don't have the time to waste.

The kunoichi beside him elbows him in the ribs and he barely suppresses a flinch. "Hey," she whispers, her shark-like teeth glinting as she gives him a wide, uninhibited grin. He smiles back briefly, remembering how she had headed straight for the seat beside him. "Kenjutsu users should stick together," she had said, winking.

 _"Ringo Ameyuri,"_ he recites from memory. _"The only female member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and one of the most powerful."_ He notes the distinctive way her red hair has been styled and her filed teeth- surprising considering that the modification is far more common amongst Kiri men than women. Of course, Hoshigakis (such as the head of the Kiri delegation) are born with an all natural set of pearly white razors.

"Can I see your sword?" she asks, prodding him again. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Before Sakumo can decide whether the innuendo was intentional, she snickers. "Hah, your face. I mean it literally. They don't need us to talk anyway, so wanna fight? It's a pity we missed the opportunity to cross blades during the Second War. I've heard good things about you."

"I don't think my boss will appreciate me skiving off work," he jokes, hinting at Kagami with a small movement of his chin. "But don't you worry about draining your anchor?"

She shakes her head, her grin turning proud. "His chakra control is in the 99th percentile. If I build my Raiton up slowly, he'll be a little confused but he'll adjust."

Sakumo raises his eyebrows and files the fact away. _"Interesting."_

"Anyway, a pure kenjutsu spar will be just as good." She's as persistent as a hunting hound.

"Maybe later," he says out of the corner of his mouth, self-conscious now that the others' conversation has lulled. With a satisfied smile to herself, Ameyuri falls silent.

"Now for the next item on our list," Kagami announces, clapping his hands. "Konoha would like to suggest a hit list to eradicate threats common to all of us. This will be a departure from our alliance's general policy of non-interference, but I believe that we are at a juncture where this may be beneficial."

"Is this related to the Kyuubi attack, Uchiha-san?" a Kumo kunoichi with bleached hair questions.

"Indeed." Kagami agrees solemnly, his dark eyes scanning the circle of ghosts. "There is an unknown threat out there that is capable of using Mokuton. We hardly know anything about who it is. Given how they targeted the Yondaime and his jinchuuriki wife, there is every possibility that it will do the same to the rest of the villages. Konoha would like to put threats like these on the hit list."

Yahiko crosses his arms, his mouth set in a line. "What of the smaller villages? Ame does not have a jinchuuriki nor a kage. Neither do we have much manpower. In fact, it is because of this shortage that I have come all this way to join this non-interference treaty."

"But the Akatsuki has a leader all the same," the woman leading the Suna delegation asks suspiciously. The green tattoos on her face run in stark stripes along her cheekbones. "You have a vested interest in this too."

"We do," Yahiko agrees, smiling peaceably. "I am merely pointing out that the smaller villages may not be as capable of contributing as much." The Kusa ghosts nod, as do the delegates from Taki and Yu.

Kagami holds up a hand. "No worries. We can sort out the contents of the list and enforcement later. For now, does anyone have any objections to the establishment of such a list?"

There are several questions, but once everyone is satisfied that they'll have a say, it is agreed. Kagami quickly briefs everyone on the details of their Mokuton-using attacker. The other villages are visibly frustrated by the lack of information, some even insinuating that the Konoha ghosts are not being completely honest. It's a ridiculous expectation - no village will be completely transparent even to their allies - but Sakumo is gratified to see Kagami turn the conversation around, focusing instead on how they can set up an information sharing system. Suna suggests joint missions; a plan met with a surprising amount of approval.

When the mysterious attacker behind Minato and Kushina's deaths goes up on the list, a grim sort of satisfaction fills Sakumo. It might not be much, but at least they are doing something.

Next on the list are the Jashinists, a cult that has supposedly achieved immortally. How the ghosts will deal with them is up in the air, but they'll figure something out. A group of particularly bloody missing-nin are also agreed upon, though it is also agreed that missing-nin in general will be left to the living. Ghosts cannot collect bounties, after all.

"What about Shimura Danzou?" the Hoshigaki asks, his ice blue eyes sweeping the room. "He has an extremely poor habit of interfering with other villages." He catches Yahiko's gaze and inclines his head briefly. "I'm sure the Akatsuki will support my proposal to put him on the list."

The young man gives the Kiri-nin an appreciative nod. "Of course."

Sakumo catches the way Kagami mouth tightens, a faint tell in his otherwise relaxed demeanour. "I understand your concerns. Unfortunately, this will affect Konoha politics as well, since he is an elder."

"But won't that benefit Konoha as well?" the old Iwa ghost presses. "From what I hear, there are certain _tensions_ within your village. I've had Hanzou's ghosts tell me of his ambitions to become Hokage. I can't imagine that has changed since Sarutobi Hiruzen took the hat again..."

There is a chorus of murmurs, concern threading clearly through their voices. The Sandaime's and the Yondaime's pacifist policies have been good to the other villages. If there is any chance of Danzou becoming Hokage, the current balance of powers will be thrown into doubt once more. There might even be war.

Sakumo shifts uneasily, his muscles tense as he picks apart the implications of Kiri's proposal. If Danzou dies, many of Kakashi's problems will be solved. But at the same time, ROOT will also become completely unpredictable, which might completely ruin their other objective of rescuing ROOT agents. Lowering his head in thought, he lets his gaze wander along the rows of weapons scrolls piled along the shelves. Words are weapons, too. How can he influence the negotiation? Should he?

"As much as I understand your sentiments, this is a matter which affects Konoha's internal politics," Kagami insists, not unkindly. "The list is meant to work in concert with the non-interference treaty, not to supersede it."

There are protests, of course, and strongly worded requests to know why the Kagami is choosing to keep a person who even the Yondaime was at odds at. "We should be concerned about the bigger picture— the peace of the nations!" another declares grandly. "Danzou's disruptive methods prevent that!"

 _"That's a little hypocritical, isn't it?"_ Sakumo frowns to himself. _"Konoha isn't the only village with personalities like Danzou. Are they prepared to execute the warmongers from their own villages too?"_ The Hatake pauses mentally. _"Now that's a dangerous thought..."_

"It is a matter of principle," Hyaku cuts in firmly, her arms crossed before her chest. "Whether Danzou dies or not is at our discretion because he is a Konoha-nin."

There is loud grumbling. _"Neither side is wrong,"_ Sakumo muses, _"but Hyaku is definitely right about one thing: Danzou is a Konoha-nin. His death is a matter that only Konoha should have a say in."_

Decision made, he steels himself and stands.

The immediate, razor-sharp focus of more than twenty-five shinobi crashes over him for a single, overwhelming moment before he grasps that battle-calm inside of him. He lets it sink into his bones like how he mentally prepares for a mission, because projecting confidence is half the battle won.

"Perhaps I can give all of you some reassurance," he says smoothly, catching Kagami's eye as he does. Seeing no obvious disapproval, only curiousity, he turns back to the assembled nin and continues. "There are Konoha-nin who disapprove of Danzou's actions just as much as you all do. I was in Ame for several months and what I saw of Danzou's dealings with Hanzou shocked me." He nods at the orange-haired ex-Akatsuki leader and the young man smiles back grimly. "Under the Yondaime's orders, the ROOT outposts in Ame were eliminated. One of the shinobi who carried out the mission was my son."

"Ah, the Yondaime's surviving student...!" Ameyuri exclaims.

"Yes. However, a short while ago Danzou approached Kakashi and attempted to convince him to join ROOT." From the way the Kagami stares at him out of the corner of his eye, Sakumo deduces that this is news to the Uchiha too. "I shall not bore you all with Danzou's convoluted reasoning, but long story short, Kakashi has plans to infiltrate ROOT and bring it down from the inside."

"How?" the Hoshigaki asks, his gills flaring slightly as he leans forward in interest. "That can't be easy."

Sakumo shakes his head. "We know too little about ROOT to concretise any plans. Much will depend on what Kakashi encounters while in ROOT itself. I do not wish to give you all any false expectations, but I hope this piece of information will be encouraging. As we all know, assassination is our only tool, but the living can come up with more nuanced solutions. It will not be too late for us to revisit this question after two or three years. Much of Konoha's efforts will be focused on rebuilding, anyway."

 _"Perhaps,"_ Sakumo adds to himself, _"letting them know of this will also grant Kakashi a measure of safety from the foreign ghosts, particularly if he needs to carry out missions on behalf of ROOT."_

"And how many people are carrying out this infiltration mission?"

"Kakashi alone."

There are some disbelieving looks. "He's just, what, ten?" the Suna-ANBU sneers dismissively.

"Fourteen," Sakumo replies evenly. "Like I said, I do not wish to give you any false expectations. But I do believe that Kakashi will be able to make a difference, even if it is only to prompt the Sandaime to restrain Danzou further."

"That's not much," the Suna-ANBU snarks, turning up his nose.

The Kumo ghost beside him sighs and presses two delicate fingers against her temple. "Hatake Kakashi's brains are worth twenty of you," she mutters to herself.

"What did you say?!" the desert-dwelling shinobi growls, advancing a step threateningly.

The leader of the Kumo delegation steps before her, a burly arm swung protectively over her shoulders. "Now, now..." he chuckles loudly. "I for one am sick of hearing about that old man. Hatake-san is right. With Konoha in the poor state it is," he declares loudly, making Sakumo wince, "Danzou will have his hands full for a while. Let's see what the Baby Fang can do and we can argue about this again."

Restraining a snort of amusement, Sakumo gives the man a smile of thanks. Now, Kakashi will at least have some time to do whatever he thinks fit.

"Alright!" Kagami exclaims, clasping his hands. He beams at everyone, especially Sakumo. "Thank you everyone for contributing to today's meeting! Let's adjourn until... five hours later?" The elder Hatake stifles a groan. "If you would like a tour of Konoha, feel free to approach any one of our friendly ANBU!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I have a lot of headcanons about Kiri! Canonically, Ameyuri died of an incurable chronic disease at a young age, but she's a ghost here because I thought she might be the type to die à la Rin (by a friend's hand) in one last kenjutsu match.

I put her around Ao's age, maybe a year or two younger, and I think it's hilarious that they might have been tsundere friends. They'll have training sessions that end up as shouting matches because neither of them will be able to beat each other. One's a kenjutsu/ninjutsu type and the other is a sensor/genjutsu type, so they're terribly mismatched, haha.

And yes, Ao is her anchor :'(


	75. Chapter 75

The meetings are concluded after a week and the foreign ghosts return back to their countries, only a few staying behind to plan and carry out joint missions with the Konoha ghosts.

Ameyuri bids Sakumo farewell with a friendly punch to the arm, leaving him feeling much battered and bruised. It has been a long time since he last felt this kind of post-A-class mission fatigue. For the past few days, whenever Sakumo wasn't caught up in a meeting or some kind of socialising, he was sparring with either Ameyuri, her stereotypically bloodthirsty Hoshigaki superior, or Yahiko. Sometimes they sparred two against two, and other times, it was all-out chaos against everyone and anyone, including the Suna-nin who liked to sulk behind bushes and watch.

The Hoshigaki liked to _bite_ and Yahiko shrieked whenever the Kiri-nin lunged at him with those serrated rows of teeth, chomping at air as he swung his sword with a bright-eyed grin. Rin had laughed until she cried, while Sakumo summoned his arm-guards and quickly strapped them on.

Those moments had been fun. It wasn't something Sakumo could have imagined happening while they were all alive and he is surprised to find himself almost disappointed to see them go. Waving their visitors off with the rest of the Konoha ghosts, Sakumo hears the steady tick of the time bomb that is Snake and Kakashi making itself known again.

The villages may be at peace, but there's a silent battle about to begin within Konoha now.

* * *

Snake holds out the mission scroll to Kakashi, her lips pressed in a tight smile. "S-rank to Shimogakure."

With a solemn nod, Kakashi accepts it. This must be the mission that ROOT promised, but... "Three people?" Kakashi looks up from the unfurled scroll in surprise. "I thought..."

Snake produces another sheet of paper, unfolds it, and gives it to Kakashi. It's a simple form for discharge from service. It has been filled in with their third team-member's name and the familiar scrawl of the Hokage's signature sits at the bottom with all the finality of a judgment. "Internal management."

Kakashi's eyebrows knit. "Oh." He hands the form back to Snake, who tucks it away into her armour. "Any reason given?"

"None. It's better not to know sometimes."

"I see." There's a disturbed look on Kakashi's face as he scans through the fake mission's details and Sakumo feels the same unease thrumming through his own chest. Rin simply looks shocked.

The door clicks open and a black-haired man walks in, his face hidden behind a mask with slanted black markings. He has a lean build but he's at least a head taller than both Snake and Kakashi.

"Hawk," Snake greets, Kakashi echoing. They give no hint of what had just transpired. "Good to see you. How's your sister?"

His eyes flicker behind his mask, darting between Snake and Kakashi. "Same old. Her oldest is already getting eyebags at six from all that training."

"Poor kid," Snake chuckles, shaking her head. Curiosity makes Kakashi's eyebrows climb up his forehead.

Whereas once his captain would have wrapped an arm around Kakashi's shoulders and ruffled his hair, she contains herself to a smirk. Outside of the rare moments of privacy in Snake's office, they have been manufacturing a growing distance between themselves for the benefit of their observers in ROOT.

"You'll meet him sooner or later," she reassures. "He's an overachiever like you and you know what they say: birds of a feather flock together!"

Hawk shoots her a withering look before fixing Kakashi with an assessing gaze, one that Kakashi returns unabashedly. Finally, the other ANBU shifts, his mask tilting in a way that gives Sakumo the impression of silent laughter. "Mission scroll, please."

"Right," Kakashi mumbles in embarrassment, quickly tossing the scroll over.

Humming as he peruses the details carefully, Hawk then summarises the mission out loud. "So we'll break into the Daimyo's castle, steal his new technology-thingamajig, and get out preferably undetected." He looks up with a flash of white irises behind the eyeholes of his mask. "Three is an awful lot of people for an infiltration mission."

Snake shrugs nonchalantly. "Hound's going to graduate and become a captain soon. He needs all the experience he can get so he's coming as backup. Anyway," she adds with exaggerated cheer. "Pack for cold weather and we'll be off at dawn tomorrow."

As Kakashi and Hawk chorus affirmatives and head off to prepare, Sakumo turns to Rin with a sad smile. "It's not going to be pleasant. I'll protect him before he needs any medical attention, so stay in Konoha please, Rin. It'll put my heart at ease."

She looks up at him, her eyes twin pools of warm concern beneath knitted brows. "Alright. I understand. But remember to take care of yourself too, Sakumo-san."

"I will," he promises gratefully.

* * *

"So," Hawk says, breaking off into a loud groan as he flops onto the hotel's bed and bounces slightly. His back pops as he stretches and Kakashi rolls his eyes as Hawk groans again. It's rare to have such comforts on a mission - particularly an S class one - but they undercover as civilian travellers who can afford it. "Hound. Ever thought of what you want to be when you grow up?" The corner of his mouth quirks teasingly and the corners of his black eyes crinkle.

Sitting down on his own bed, Kakashi taps his finger against his chin, pretending to consider. Behind him, Snake bag falls to the ground with a clunk as she snatches the toilet. "Ladies first!" she shouts as the bathroom door slams. Even as Hawk sighs, the pitter-patter of a running shower starts.

"A jounin-sensei?" Kakashi announces brightly, all starry eyes and sheepish head-scratching.

Stunned, both Hawk and Sakumo gape at the young Hatake for a moment before realising Kakashi was joking. "You little shit!" Hawk shouts, hurling a glove at Kakashi's head before flopping back onto the pillows. Sakumo slumps in relief too, not because being a jounin-sensei is anything disappointing, but because it would have meant that he had misunderstood his son's personality and aspirations completely.

Kakashi makes a rude sign back but he's grinning behind his mask. "And you? An Academy sensei? Since you're so interested in helping youngsters plan their future careers."

The other ANBU laughs lowly at that, something dark flickering behind his eyes before he looks away. "I wish. Ain't much good for anything but killing after all these years in ANBU. You should get out while you can. Diversify your skills a bit."

His words are heavy in the air and Kakashi turns away, busying himself with unpacking clean clothes in order to hide his discomfort.

"Besides," Hawk continues, his voice a low murmur. "I don't like the idea of putting a kunai in children's hands."

Kakashi looks up at this, first surprise then understanding crossing his face. He stares down at his set of civilian clothing contemplatively. "My father began teaching me how to fight when I was two."

A knot of discomfort lodges itself in Sakumo's throat. He hadn't expected to be the subject of tonight's conversation; Kakashi doesn't usually talk about these things. Perhaps he feels safe because Hawk has been slated for death. It's a little messed up, but Kakashi has always been more open to the dead than to the living.

Hawk turns back to Kakashi in surprise. "That's young."

"Well I am a genius..." Kakashi jokes before sobering. With his legs bent close to his chest and his chin resting against his knees, Kakashi's grey eye clouds with memories. "He taught me where the major arteries were and how to angle the blade. He would let me try channeling chakra into the tantou, sometimes, and we would practice on dummies Henged from bundles of straw."

Sakumo shifts uncomfortably. He remembers those lessons all too clearly. It had been incredibly difficult to see Kakashi smile so innocently and look to him for approval after every diligently executed move.

It had felt like leading Kakashi into ruin.

"Tou-san always had this look. I'll always remember that look." Frowning, Kakashi fiddles with his mask. "At first, I thought it was because I wasn't good enough." Sakumo's heart sinks like a lead ball and he bites the inside of his cheek. "But, now that I think back, it was more like he wanted to be proud of me but was... afraid, or worried." Kakashi looks up and eye-smiles at Hawk. "Maybe he was thinking along the same lines as you."

Kakashi's memory is a frightening thing, but the knot of worry in Sakumo's stomach loosens slightly. _"As long as Kakashi doesn't think it's his fault..."_

Hawk blinks, his mouth pulling into a faint smile. "I admired your father. I'll take that as a compliment."

"I-I'm glad."

The pleased expression on Kakashi's face means more to Sakumo than he can say. Perhaps, just perhaps, somewhere along the line Kakashi has already forgiven him... Kind as his dear boy has always been.

"I think even then, he knew - subconsciously, perhaps - that he wasn't going to be there for me much longer." Kakashi regards Hawk with a gaze far too old for his age. "He may have made my childhood a little, hm, unconventional, but he was doing his best to prepare me for the life I couldn't have possibly escaped."

Kakashi is defending him, Sakumo realises. Letting his head fall back, he blinks back the sudden ache in his eyes as he draws a shaky breath. Pale strands of silver catch between his fingers when he runs a restless hand through his hair, his heart feeling full to burst. _"Oh Kakashi..."_

"Would you have wanted to?" Hawk asks lowly, his gaze intent. "To escape?"

"And become a missing-nin?" Surprise is plain in Kakashi's voice.

"Or a civilian, if your father managed to hide the both of you well enough."

Kakashi looks down at the flimsy, unarmoured clothes in his hands. "I think I would have been furious at my father if he tried to make me leave Konoha, then. But now...? If tou-san was still alive..." His hands tighten around the folded fabric. "I'd grab him and run."

Sakumo chokes back the strangled sound that threatens to escape and his vision blurs dangerously with tears. _"Stay with me a little while longer,"_ Kakashi's voice keeps repeating in his mind.

In the end, it's a battle that he loses when Kakashi chuckles hollowly and mutters, "Since the village didn't want him anymore, I should have stolen him all for myself."

* * *

 **A/N:** I totally need an AU of that now. Time-travelling baby genin Kakashi catching Sakumo about to cut himself open then stopping him and dragging him far, far away from Konoha. Then they live happily ever in the mountains planting eggplants and raising about a hundred dogs. And maybe during the Third War they'll appear and save people because they're awesome and kind and love Konoha even after everything :')


	76. Chapter 76

Warnings: lots of swearing, violence, gore.

* * *

"Well, that's done," Snake murmurs, staring down at Hawk's collapsed form. His eyes are open and unfocused, his hand twitching at the sweat-drenched collar of his shirt. Kakashi makes a soft noise of agreement, his expression unreadable, as he shucks off his backpack to find the body-storage scroll inside.

Sakumo watches the ragged rise and fall of Hawk's chest with an uncomfortable twisting in his stomach. _"Why is he being executed this way? This isn't right. A fellow Konoha-nin..."_

They're a days journey north of Konoha. Except for the narrow path that they themselves have made through the sparse pine forest, there are no roads whatsoever, and no chance of anyone stumbling upon them. It hadn't been difficult to dose Hawk's water bottle with a tasteless, slow-acting poison when he was taking his turn in the shower yesterday night. The short trek through the forest had sped up the poison's circulation and taken down the ANBU easily.

Under Snake's watchful eye, Hawk's breath stutters and stops. Sakumo has to close his eyes briefly.

Snake crouches down to check his pulse and Kakashi frowns, still picking at the tie holding the scroll shut. "Senpai, is—" The startled flutter of Snake's chakra makes Kakashi look up in alarm.

"You've been distracted, Snake," Hawk snarls, his breathing heavy as he presses the kunai in his hand harder against her jugular. He has her back against his chest, his other hand twisting her arm behind her. Kakashi stares, his body frozen and his eyes wide, his instinctive reach for his katana halted by Hawk's glare. "Put your hands down!" And Kakashi obeys, movements slow.

Snake swears softly, looking not so much frightened but annoyed. Sakumo follows the line of her sight and finds something glinting in the leaf litter. It's a tiny syringe, a drop of fluid still in the barrel. It's the distinctive magenta colour of the antidote for most common poisons. It won't save Hawk, but it'll give him time.

"This is embarrassing," Snake mutters. Her gaze meets Kakashi's and the hard line of her mouth softens. "Don't worry, dear." The tense frown on Kakashi's face only deepens.

"Shut your mouth!" Hawk growls, twisting her arm further until she gasps. "Fucking backstabbers." A thick droplet of blood escapes his nose, trailing down to his mouth and he licks it away irritably. " _Hokage-sama_ sent you to kill me."

"Yes," Kakashi says honestly, and Hawk's narrowed eyes snap to him. "Please. We have no personal stake in this. Let her go and we'll just report this mission as a failure."

The other man bursts into wheezing laughter, not a hint of mirth in the sound. "And that's exactly the problem, isn't it? You're just following orders but this is my _life_ we're talking about. They treat us like we're expendable weapons, throw us away when they're done using us, and it'll all just _following orders_ right?" Contempt saturates his words. "I thought you had some empathy. But you're nothing like your father!" Blood drips down his chin and he shakes with fury and exertion both.

Kakashi's jaw clenches.

Now Sakumo would have never accepted a mission like this in the first place, and the Hokage wouldn't have given it to him, but it didn't mean he was disappointed in Kakashi. A shinobi's duty is to their Hokage and Sakumo understands the tension here all too well.

As Hawk drags himself and Snake up to their feet and backs off to put more distance between them and Kakashi, Sakumo wonders if this would be the time to intervene. But he knows what Snake and Kakashi have planned. It makes him wince to consider things this way, but if Hawk kills Snake, the burden of her death won't be on Kakashi. It'll be the lesser of two evils.

Hawk turns his bloodshot stare to Kakashi again once he has his back to a tree. "I've got a proposition for you," he says tersely, his voice thin with pain. "Give me the proper antidote and take out the Sharingan, and I'll let her go."

"What's the point of this?" Snake snaps, barely noticing the blood beading against the point of Hawk's kunai as she twists about. "Just kill me and be done with it."

The crack of bone is shockingly loud. Snake jerks as a grunt of pain escapes her and the kunai skids dangerously along the vulnerable column of her neck, but Hawk is careful not to let Snake fatally injure herself with it. She looks up at Kakashi through the strands of hair that had fallen over her face, her free hand twitching into the signal for "kill" by her side before Hawk changes his grip and holds that arm hostage instead.

"Self-righteous," Hawk pants, his face frighteningly pale now. "Asking me "what's the point" when you're the ones trying to kill me. Tell me, what am I fighting for? Money? Peace? Konoha? Fuck the village, we're not even properly part of it. We're all just being used." He bares teeth stained with blood.

 _"Oh,"_ Sakumo thinks, realisation sparking as painfully as an actual burn. _"He's an anti-Konoha Uchiha dissenter."_ Uchiha ANBUs are becoming increasingly rare nowadays, what with the simmering tension between the Uchiha and the rest of the clans. Hawk must be highly respected within the Uchiha clan, influential even, by virtue of his high-ranking position in ANBU. The threat that Hawk posed with his Madara-esque opinions must have been clear to the Hokage.

There are ways to deal with dissent, and assassination it is the fastest, the easiest, and the most permanent. But in Sakumo's mind, it is also the worst of them all. Behind the Hokage's signature, how much of it was Hiruzen and how much of it was Danzou?

"I don't care about your life, Snake," the ANBU continues to rant. "It's just as fucking worthless as the rest of us. The antidote and the Sharingan, now!"

Kakashi holds up his hands. "Alright, I understand. The antidote is in my backpack. I'll also need a kunai to cut the optic nerve and muscles, some water to clean my hands, and something clean to put it into," Kakashi lists calmly. "Don't hurt her."

At Kakashi's acquiescence, Hawk seems to relax fractionally. "Then do as I say." Hawk leans closer to Snake but his gimlet-eyed stare stays on Kakashi. "See how much he likes you? You'd better make it up to him afterwards." Snake growls, teeth clenched in a snarl as she writhes, testing his strength. Hawk tightens his hold and an alarming amount of blood washes down her neck. "Stay. Still."

"Senpai! Just, hold on." Hurrying over to his pack, Kakashi crouches down and reaches for the flap. "Don't worry, I know."

"I would have taken you along, you know?" Hawk mutters as Kakashi rummages about. "If you had wanted to escape." The disappointment in Hawk's voice makes Kakashi pause, his expression twisting for a moment before he forcibly shutters his expression.

"Sorry," the silver-haired teen murmurs, his shoulders hunching.

Then his gloved hand twitches and he's sprinting across the distance between them in an explosive burst of movement, katana flashing in his hand.

Snake relaxes even as Hawk exclaims in shock, disbelief draining his face of all colour. His eyes swirl into the deep red of the Sharingan, but the unerring line of Kakashi's strike cannot be avoided. In a split second, Kakashi's blade pierces through flesh and bone, driving through Snake's side and up between Hawk's ribs, right into the heart. The man gasps, an accusing rage contorting his features. "Friend-Killer Kakashi...!"

But there's a smile on Snake's face. Blood trickles down her wrist where she has gripped Hawk's kunai, bare palm against metal. With a slick sound, Kakashi withdraws the katana flings it away in favour of catching Snake, letting her slump against him as Hawk falls down, dead for sure this time.

Laying her down, Kakashi presses a hand to her side and another against her sliced-up neck. Pain flickers across her face, her eyes squeezing shut briefly before she looks up at Kakashi again. "Good job," she murmurs, barely moving her lips.

Kakashi shakes his head in a sudden, angry movement, his brows knitting tightly. "I brought the pills. This should have been painless." He glances over at Hawk, his mouth twisting unhappily behind his mask.

She huffs weakly, her left hand sliding up to latch onto his wrist. Her thumb brushes across his bounding pulse. "Better this way." Her Henge begins to flicker, blurring with each sluggish well of blood against Kakashi's hand where it is pressed against her side. "Don't look," she whispers, her gaze sliding over Kakashi's shoulder to linger on the sky.

"It's okay," he whispers back, his expression softening even as her skin warps into a dense spiderweb of scars, crawling up like vines to mark her neck and face. The affection in Kakashi's eyes doesn't waver. "It's okay, senpai."

Her grip on his wrist tightens briefly as she drinks in his face with tear-damp eyes. "Sorry, Kakashi. I've asked too much of you..."

Kakashi shakes his head again, so desperate to reassure her that Sakumo's heart pangs sharply. "I can handle it. Don't worry."

Her lashless, scarred eyelids lower with regret. "I know. I believe in you. Listen, in my bag, there's a letter," she stops, panting faintly as sweat dampens her brow. Kakashi has to lean in order to hear her as she whispers into his ear. "Read it, alright?"

"Of course."

The corner of her lips quirks in a smile again, the wan expression pulling strangely at her tight skin. "Thank you." Her hand falls away from his wrist, her breath shallow and laboured as she regards him gently. "The mission begins... now..."

With a strangled sound of anguish, Kakashi draws down his mask and presses his lips against her ruined cheek, his other hand lifting away from her wound to cradle the other side of her face. Her breathing hitches faintly in surprise and her eyes slip closed, her smile growing as she mouths his name silently.

 _"Kakashi."_

Just as quickly, he pulls away and hides his face against her shoulder, his entire frame trembling.

"Understood," he gasps.

Tears escape from the corner of her closed eyes, pooling against Kakashi's bloodied hand. They spill over his knuckles, red.

* * *

He sits up after a far too short period of time. Sakumo catches a glimpse of pure, aching grief before Kakashi pulls up his mask again. He opens his Sharingan to look over both Hawk's and Snake's corpses before slanting his hitai-ate over the eye again, his movements deliberate and smooth. There's no trace of chakra in either of them anymore.

For a moment, he stares down blankly at the tacky blood drying over his bare hands. The remaining blood is quickly wiped away on Kakashi's trousers, which are already soaked from knee-down with the same dark crimson. He looks a mess as he stumbles into motion, unrolling the storage scroll until it is laid out on the ground, two of the seals clearly visible.

He takes a towel, wets it with a weak Suiton, and begins to clean up the bodies the best he can, careful to close their eyes before wiping away the blood and shifting them away from the soaked ground. The appropriate hand seals causes body bags pop out from the scroll. Hawk goes into a bag, his heavier bulk not straining Kakashi at all, and once the body bag is positioned over the seal, it disappears with another hand seal.

Kakashi hadn't lingered earlier, but he hesitates now. He has Snake's arm over his shoulder as he tries to manoeuvre her into the bag, his other hand against her back of head to keep her steady. Looking down, his expression tightens at splash of blood on his shoulder.

He sets her down again, gently, and looks at her neck wound. It's grotesque.

Rising to his feet with the fatigue of a man truly deserving his silver hair, Kakashi ruffles through his backpack and pulls out a roll of bandages. He looks over, as if asking her opinion, before sighing and walking over.

The bandages go around her neck snugly. He gets her out of her outer armour and does the same for the wound piercing her side, pulling the bandages tight around her abdomen. There's not much fresh blood anymore, but it still seeps through to make the bandages faintly pink.

Pulling down the hem of her shirt, Kakashi leans his forehead against her shoulder again, hiccuping. "I can't do this. Senpai, I can't do this."

But he does.

He picks himself up again after a long moment and puts her in the body bag with trembling hands. The body bag goes in the scroll and the scroll goes into his backpack, and suddenly, all that's left is the empty forest.

 _"Carry on, carry on,"_ Sakumo thinks sorrowfully, remembering how during war time, Tsunade used to mutter that over and over again to herself as she made her rounds amongst the dead and the dying, looking no-one in the eye. The same strain is written along the fragile curve of Kakashi's spine he kneels and presses his hands to the ground, sending a Doton rippling through the earth to bury all traces of DNA. Only a small disturbance in the soil left behind; a few raindrops will soon wash even that away.

"Let's go home, senpai," Kakashi murmurs to himself as he shoulders his backpack, collects his katana, and slips on his gloves. His hand are shaking so badly that he can't get the gloves on and in a final fit of emotion, he hurls them at a tree with a wild yell. Sakumo watches, brokenhearted and aghast, as Kakashi drops into a crouch, shoulders shaking as he hides his face in his bloodstained sleeves.

With a hand fisted in his hair, Kakashi begins to laugh hysterically.

* * *

 **A/N:** Goodbye Snake, my precious OC :'( I will miss you.

(Sorry Hawk, farewell to you too.)


	77. Chapter 77

**A/N:** We're in the ROOT arc proper now! :)

Before we start, I think I should give you all a general heads up. We all know that ROOT is a terrible place even in canon. Hence, some of the subsequent chapters will be elaborating upon various kinds of abuse, e.g. emotional/psychological abuse, human rights abuse, etc. Even though this is rated M, there will be nothing sexually explicit, no rape/non-con, and no underage. There will however be mature themes.

I will put in additional warnings for each chapter, but if you have any concerns, or if you think I'm depicting things in an unhealthy/irresponsible way, please do drop me a message!

Okay that sounds kinda scary but I thought it'd be better to over-warn than under-warn. I don't how well I'd handle this since I've never written something like this before. Maybe it'll end up not gritty enough, or too gritty, I'm not sure. But I'll be trying my best! :)

* * *

The sunset has faded by the time Kakashi reaches the gate, leaving the sky a cloudless, midnight blue. He spares only enough time at the guard post to check in with the guards, turning for the Shimura estate the moment he is out of the guards' sight. The Shimura clan is one of the founding shinobi clans and possesses an ancestral land that lies on the side of Konoha opposite of the Hatakes. Tucked along the circumference of the village walls like most clans prefer their lands to be, the estate enjoys a wonderful amount of privacy; privacy that Danzou clearly needs in order to run that backyard militia of his.

The wards ripple in delicate silver waves when Kakashi nears the unmarked border, but before he can touch it, a ROOT agent steps out from a shadowed copse of trees. He bows to Kakashi, his hooded cloak rustling around him. When he straightens, he offers his arm in a surprisingly solicitous gesture. "I will guide you through the wards," he offers without explanation or greeting.

Visible eye narrowed, Kakashi places his hand on the other's forearm and they pass through the wards together. Sakumo quickly steps through the wards as well, flinching at the abrasive scratch of chakra. He looks down and almost expects to find lines of red across his skin.

The ROOT agent drops his arm as soon as they're through and Kakashi withdraws his hand. "Straight ahead," the man says, pointing into the darkness. Bowing again, he steps away and melds back into the shadows easily, the flash of his white mask disappearing under his hood again.

Kakashi fist clenches before relaxing again, slowly, and he begins to walk.

It is silent. The crickets are dead or dying, having mated and laid their eggs somewhere safe from the frost that has begun to thicken every night. The new generation won't appear until the winter passes, but for now, it is quiet, frozen graveyard.

In the distance, the muted glow of a traditional building's wax-paper windows seeps between the black bars of pine-forest. A neat gravel path lit by decorative stone lanterns leads up to the front door, where another ROOT agent greets Kakashi with a silent bow, her purple-marked mask glowing in the low light.

The house itself is well-kept. The exposed wooden beams under the eaves are free of dust and age-worn floorboards are polished to a slippery shine. In contrast, Kakashi looks like he has been through hell. His hair is greasy and unkempt, his hitai-ate knotted carelessly, and his clothes mud-stained and stiff with dried blood. He is covered in the dust of the road and he hasn't washed in days.

Frankly speaking, it is nothing unexpected for a post-mission shinobi. Yet, the difference is too stark to be anything but pointedly uncomfortable.

"Danzou-sama is expecting you," she says, her mask tilting as she looks him over. "Would you like to change first?"

Kakashi just stares at the young woman stonily until she relents and disappears to fetch a wet towel. She lays it on the ground before him. "Please take off you sandals and wipe your feet."

Satisfied that Kakashi won't be tracking dirt through the house like an untrained puppy, the ROOT agent escorts him through the living room, her long ponytail of blue-black hair swaying by her waist like a tail to her cat-like mask. Sakumo blinks at her red pearl earrings; none of the other ROOT agents they had met in Ame, or the few in Konoha, had accessories like that.

From the map that Sakumo is building in his head, they are being led towards the centre of the building's rather conservative and predictable layout. _"There must be some other base for ROOT,"_ Sakumo muses, his footsteps stuttering as they pass an alcove* displaying a bright Ikebana arrangement. It's a woman's touch — courtesy of Danzou's sister or niece, perhaps, even though they are both Naras by marriage and by birth, respectively. Otherwise, the house reflects the austere simplicity of a military man, unfrivolous and unsentimental.

"Danzou-sama, Hatake Kakashi to see you."

"Come in!"

The ROOT agent slides back the shouji door and waits for Kakashi to enter before closing it behind her, the silencing wards snapping up together with the clap of the doorframes. In a swift movement, she backs off to the corner of the room and fades away behind a jutsu.

"Looks like your hunting dog brought you a little something," Orochimaru rasps with a smirk, leaning back against his legless chair. He and Danzou are seated at the low table, one on each side of a corner with an open bottle of sake between them.

" _Orochimaru_ ," Danzou says reprovingly before turning back to Kakashi with a friendly expression. "Just back from your mission?"

Kakashi bows stiffly. "Yes, Danzou-sama." He ignores the snake Sannin in favour of retrieving his scroll and that golden-eyed gaze narrows. "Shall I release the seal here?" Danzou nods in an unconcerned manner, as if the young ANBU was about to produce teacakes instead of corpses.

The pocket dimension that the body-storage seal opens into is timeless, like the inside of the Shinigami's stomach, so anything placed within it is preserved near perfectly. As the body bags pop into existence, the heavy copper scent of fresh blood begins to mingle with sweet traces of sake in the air.

"Let me have a look."

Kakashi stills as Orochimaru rises, his hand on the nearest body bag's zip. "Just look," he replies, careful to keep his tone neutral. "The guards already know I'm back. I cannot delay my report to the Hokage."

"Well, it shouldn't take too long," Danzou murmurs. "Orochimaru just needs to confirm her identity. We can leave Hawk alone." Orochimaru gives Danzou a strange look, then, but the elder doesn't react.

As the scientist approaches Kakashi, Sakumo's attention is caught by the harsh slash of his mouth and the hardness in those golden orbs. Between this man and the bright-eyed child genius Sakumo remembers back in the classroom, only superficial similarities remain. Lose track of the man for a war and decade, and suddenly here he is, having shed his skin and grown up into someone that Sakumo doesn't recognise.

It is not unusual for Orochimaru to go missing in his labs for weeks at a time, even though he can be seen at the hospital when things get gory. That, at least, has always been a constant. What's unusual is that Orochimaru is associating with a man like Danzou, who is the furthest thing from a scientist or a med-nin. But at the same time, it makes sense. Orochimaru wants the science and Danzou wants the results; neither of them care about the ethics. _"No,"_ Sakumo sighs to himself, _"these_ are _their ethics: the furtherance of an end that justifies everything."_ The part of him that remembers his old Academy rival with fondness and faint admiration still rebels at the suggestion that Orochimaru could be the one making use of those Ame children, but it is a part of him that is quickly losing it's voice.

Kakashi stays silent as he unzips the body bag and allows Orochimaru to collect a few strands of Snake's hair. They go into a small plastic bag and disappear into his flak jacket. Her mask stays on, but Orochimaru's eyebrow quirks at the scars on her arms.

With efficient movements, Kakashi closes the body bag and returns it into the scroll. "Will that be all, Danzou-sama?"

"Yes, yes." The elder smiles benevolently. "Come back tomorrow night and we'll talk about ROOT."

A little more life seems to light Kakashi's single eye as he bows deeply. "Understood. Goodnight." He leaves by himself, both of them expecting him to remember the way and knowing well that the walls have both eyes and ears.

"What do you think of the young Hatake?" Danzou asks once the silencing jutsus are wrapped around them again. The most interesting things are said after the fact, so Sakumo has stayed in hopes of catching something useful.

"Weak," Orochimaru scoffs. "Brittle. He'll break quickly and easily under the right pressure. I wonder what he was thinking when he killed his captain. He seems awfully protective of her." The sannin cocks his head, a sly glint in his eyes. "Do you really believe in his loyalty?"

Everything inside Sakumo tenses up. So it really was too much to hope for that Danzou would simply trust Kakashi. Should he have protested more? Not killed Snake at all? Or would everything have been wrong?

Danzou runs his thumb along the rim of the sake dish, his single eye dark. "It'd be useful to have his loyalty, but lack of it isn't fatal. Just his attempts to convince me should be enough. No matter what his goal is, the fact that he has killed Snake shows that he is open to suggestion and willing to make sacrifices on the way. If he had been a ROOT agent, he would have passed "graduation" test."

"Are you hoping that he'll end up persuading himself?" Orochimaru laughs lowly.

"It is like you said. With the right kind of convincing, he'll come around."

"You _are_ going to put the seal on him, right?"

"Of course."

Sakumo's blood runs cold. Snake and Kakashi had tried to prepare for that, of course, but their method of removing the seal remains woefully incomplete. The little research that they managed to conduct during the mission in Ame yielded some understanding about the seal's workings, but it is still far too complex for the two of them to reverse engineer completely. Orochimaru is a genius in his own right, after all, and Danzou is no amateur at fuinjutsu himself. Kakashi will have to take a closer look at the sealing process before he can figure out what to try next, and he'll probably have to convince someone to help him too. Snake had suggested Yakushi Nonou, but they haven't met yet.

The seal is one of the biggest problems Kakashi will be facing, along with figuring out how to convince ROOT agents to abandon Danzou. Even if Kakashi manages to convince Danzou not to put the seal on him, Kakashi will still have to unravel the seal before he can safely bring other ROOT members out of the organisation.

"Do you want me to change anything or is the old sealing array still fine?"

Danzou waves his hand. "It's fine. As far as I recall, Minato and Kushina hadn't had the time to teach Kakashi much fuinjutsu."

Orochimaru shrugs, already making to stand. "Well, goodnight, Danzou-san. If you change your mind, I'll be in the lab."

"Goodnight."

The door clicks closed. With a sigh, Danzou begins to clear the table. With only one arm, it is slow-going. "I'll do that, sir," the ROOT agent who had been hiding in the room appears once more, saying.

Danzou lets her and watches as she piles the sake bottle and dishes away on a tray. "You sound quite pleased, Hinoto."

She freezes at his assessment, her eyes flickering quickly to his face. "Ah..."

He looks more amused than displeased so she relaxes and cocks her head to the side, her eyes glimmering behind her mask. "I'm just glad my predecessor is gone."

She still sounds so impassive that Sakumo honestly can't tell that she's _happy_ , but Danzou seems to think so. "I would say jealousy is unbecoming, but I find that I don't quite mind how it looks on you."

"Danzou-sama..."

The hint of flattered embarrassment in her voice, coupled with the way the ROOT leader smiles faintly, his gaze tracing over her mask, makes Sakumo's hair stand on end. The moment ends when Danzou gestures at the door. "Go on. I have reports to look through."

Hesitating only briefly, she bows and leaves, silent as she had appeared.

* * *

*called a _tokonoma_ in Japanese.

 **A/N:** Sorry if any of you needed brain bleach after that bit. Cat-girl is the current Hinoto while her "predecessor" is Snake, who held the name Hinoto last.

Even though ROOT is big on killing emotions, Danzou also recognises that emotions are useful for manipulating people (see Yakushi Nonou). Hence, I think he allows and encourages certain emotions such as loyalty towards ROOT/himself. Some ROOT members will be dead inside, but some will be Danzou-fanatics.

Recently on tumblr, narutoheretic made a hilarious comparison between fanfic!Danzou and canon!Danzou. Fanfic!Danzou is all like, you shall be tortured for failing! While canon!Danzou seems to be a pretty decent and reasonable person as long as his ROOT agents obey him and try their best. And lol, it's pretty true y'know. When Yamanaka Fuu failed to retrieve the Byakugan from Ao, Danzou just said "It can't be helped" even though it was obviously important. He only got shouty at Kinoe during the Kakashi ANBU filler arc because Kinoe lied and started talking back.

Not to say that Danzou isn't a villain. Just that I'm not going to make him a total maniac XD


	78. Chapter 78

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm starting another internship next Monday for three weeks, so I won't be able to update from next week onwards :( Anyway it won't be long! And we still have this week ;)

Warnings: creepy fuinjutsu.

* * *

By the time Sakumo arrives at the Hokage's office, only Hiruzen is there, his gaze distant as he looks out of the window at the sky above. His pipe dangles from his mouth, forgotten and long gone cold. Seated on the window sill beside the Hokage, with one arm resting against a bent knee, Kagami nods politely at the Hatake ghost.

"Your boy just left."

Sakumo leans against the side of the Hokage's desk and exhales heavily through his nose, feeling a phantom ache in his bones. "I know." They had spoken last week after the inter-village meetings and decided to let this mess progress as it will. Yet, one question still lingers in Sakumo's mind like a mismatched puzzle piece, neither belonging here nor there.

The night presses shadows all around them and Kagami stares into it, towards the direction Sakumo had come from. Beneath the sweep of his lowered lashes, his eyes are dark and unreadable.

"I don't understand," Sakumo murmurs, phrasing it carefully as a shortcoming of his own because he still respects the man before him. Kagami shifts, his back tensing, but he doesn't turn around. "You must have known of ROOT for a long time."

 _"Why didn't you do anything?"_ goes unspoken.

The Uchiha doesn't speak. Doesn't deny anything. Sakumo waits him out, knowing that the conflict in those legendary eyes is not easy to untangle and expose.

"It is for the same reason that Saru doesn't do anything."

There's a hollowness like disappointment growing in him but it's not an unfamiliar feeling by now. Sakumo thinks he might be becoming a cynic. "Because you believe the village needs men like him? And methods like his?" His tone is getting sharper with every word but Kagami refuses to look at him still. "Because of your friendship?"

A breath shudders out of Kagami. "If it were Kakashi, would you kill him?"

Hot anger washes over Sakumo (how dare he compare Kakashi to...!) before it's gone, a chill settling into his lungs instead. "Kakashi would never."

Kagami turns then, his eyes narrowing just slightly. "If you say so." Hopping off the window sill, Kagami brushes past Sakumo heads for the door. But his armour seems to grow heavy on his shoulders and his footsteps slow to a stop. "Sorry," he apologises quietly as he glances over his shoulder. The hard look that he had worn earlier has disappeared. "I shouldn't have said that. Thinking about Danzou makes me cranky." The attempt at levity falls flat and he lifts his shoulders in a listless shrug. "Take this as you will, Sakumo. I've already tried to kill him once. He knows I'm angry with him."

Baffled at how Kagami can be so sure of Danzou's thoughts, Sakumo stares at Kagami's retreating back until he disappears out of the Hokage's office. _"If that man really knows of your anger,"_ he muses with a clenched jaw, doubt still simmering in him, _"then he must not care enough to change his ways."_

* * *

The long-haired boy by Danzou's side looks up at Kakashi unblinkingly with large, almond-shaped eyes. He's just a little child, at least several years younger than Kakashi, with skinny limbs and an unremarkable face.

"My Mokuton-user," Danzou introduces with a pleased expression. "Kinoe."

The boy bows, not saying anything.

Kakashi holds out his hand, eye curving into a smiling arch. "I'm Kakashi." Kinoe stares blankly before tentatively accepting the handshake.

"H-hello." He lets go quickly, hand clenching nervously by his side even though his expression doesn't show it.

Sighing, Danzou pats Kinoe on the shoulder, once. "Kinoe will show you around. If you have any questions, he will be able to answer them."

The young boy straightens at that, his gaze livening a little. "I can."

"I'd like to see your Mokuton," Kakashi suggests. Sakumo can't help but smile at the way Kinoe nods with all seriousness, deliberate and solemn.

"We can have a spar."

"He's so cute!" Rin coos, stars in her eyes. She and Hyaku joined Sakumo soon after his talk with Kagami. He told them what happened on the mission only very briefly, but their concerns about Kakashi's mental state were quickly assuaged today. There was determination in Kakashi's sure footsteps as he approached the Shimura estate for tonight's meeting. He's not broken yet.

"Wood-boy is just a _little_ dead though," Hyaku observes with a hum, and the fact that Mokuton can only come from Orochimaru's experiments hits Rin hard.

"Oh poor dear," she murmurs. "Kakashi will take care of you."

Seeing that they are getting along well, Danzou waves for them to follow him through one of the doors adjoining his office. "Come. I've set up what we need for the seal."

"I was hoping we wouldn't need to go through that," Kakashi says, his smile dropping off his face immediately when the smell of blood and ink hits him.

"It's just an assurance, Kakashi," Danzou replies offhandedly as he switches on the lights. The windowless room is empty except for a large circle of esoteric symbols already marked onto the floor, and the textbooks, brushes and ink pots relegated to the far corners. "I need to know where information collected by ROOT goes. It's not because I don't trust you, Kakashi. If that was the case, I would have never revealed ROOT to you in the first place. The truth is that we can't afford any mistakes. If an enemy-nin gets hold of you..."

"Then I won't make any mistakes, Danzou-sama," the young Hatake declares, lifting his eyes from the array on the ground to regard the elder with confidence.

Danzou doesn't say anything, doesn't raise an eyebrow or make any kind of gesture, but Kakashi flushes and falters under the weight of his pointed silence. Still, he grits his teeth and holds his ground.

"Please forgive my impudence. To my knowledge, Orochimaru-san does not have the seal. When you spoke of me joining ROOT, I had hoped to work with you, and not just become your subordinate."

Kakashi is asking a lot. Too much, if the way Kinoe has gone very still and half-faded into the background is any indication.

But Danzou smiles indulgently, brushing past Kakashi's words as if they were a bit of a joke. "Orochimaru came up with this seal together with me. It'd be a little pointless to put it on him, wouldn't it? You're not just my subordinate, Kakashi. Tell me, what are you hoping to achieve in ROOT?"

Thrown by the sudden change in topic, Kakashi purses his lips in thought. "I want to make sure that Konoha is protected. I want to find whoever killed Minato-sensei and Kushina-san and make sure they'll never hurt Naruto." Kinoe is watching very intently as Kakashi sets his shoulders, and Danzou is listening closely too. "And... I want to revive the Hatake name."

Sakumo startles, taken aback by the earnestness in Kakashi's words.

"I would have thought that you'd want to be Hokage, after your sensei."

Kakashi shifts, his brows drawing together. "No-one will accept me as I am now. Perhaps I will be Rokudaime after you, Danzou-sama." He gives the elder a little smirk and a bark of laughter escapes the older man. It's not a real laugh, but it is one that is very much surprised and just a little pleased.

"Interesting. But I do stand by my requirement regarding the seal. Every ROOT shinobi has it. Unless you are planning to spout your mouth off about ROOT, you won't even realise it is there. I do not see how it could be an inconvenience... though I'm willing to see what I can do to help you with your clan in return." Danzou's tone brooks no further negotiation. "If you talk to my shinobi, you'd know that I don't usually spend time mentoring anyone. You will already be quite the exception, Kakashi."

It won't do to push any harder. Anything more will only fracture the tenuous relationship they have, so Kakashi acquiescences. "Thank you for your generosity. I don't mean to make trouble..."

Danzou takes Kakashi by the shoulder and steers him into the circle. "No harm done. Kinoe, get the ink and brushes."

"Yes sir." The boy scurries towards the corner where the supplies are.

Knowing that the seal goes on the tongue, Kakashi's hand hovers over his mask. Sakumo has, of course, seen Kakashi without his mask and so has Rin, as Team Minato's med-nin. But it was always, always because Kakashi trusted them first. As for Hyaku... she is here only because they need her to analyse the seals.

"Your whole shirt actually, Kakashi," Danzou prompts, busy checking over the seals on the ground one last time. Hyaku is doing the same, humming as her sharp eyes flick from one symbol to another.

Swallowing heavily, Kakashi obeys and takes off his ANBU flak jacket and sleeveless shirt, laying them off to the side of the room. He steps back into the circle, shivering.

Sakumo scowls at the elder when he comes up behind the young ANBU. "Hold still..." Danzou warns before running the brush along the back of Kakashi's neck and down the ridges of his spine, symbols forming with each sure stroke. When he's done with that portion, he turns Kakashi around and tilts his chin up before continuing. More symbols are painted around Kakashi's neck and down his throat, until black ink pools in the hollow between his collarbones.

The rapid tick of Kakashi's pulse is visible under his jaw and goosebumps prickle his skin as the ink dries in cool air. No shinobi likes having their throat bared— the steadiness of Kakashi's breathing belies the tenseness of his stance. The touch of the brush is quick and unfamiliar, and Danzou's firm hand prevents Kakashi from looking down, but Sakumo prays that Kakashi's genius brain will enable him to memorise at least some portions of the array.

"Okay, I think I've got this," Hyaku pipes up saying as she points at the seal on the ground. The other two ghosts nod with eagerness and dread both. "This here is the main bulk of the jutsu. It defines what constitutes "prohibited speech" and what the "consequences" are. Even so, not everything is written here. The real "dictionary" that goes into detail about what "prohibited speech" means is somewhere else, such as a scroll, that is linked to this sealing array. The scroll is like a huge footnote to a mission report that you can't manage to fit in one page." She holds up a finger, her eyes flashing green. " _If_ you can find that scroll, then you can change what is prohibited and what is not, or destroy the prohibition completely."

Rin stifles a groan and Sakumo pinches the bridge of his nose. "He'll have hidden it away for sure."

"Of course. It is like how you hide away your Summoning Contracts because _that's_ the important stuff, not the hand signs for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu." She smiles. "But, that's just one part of the seal. The "enforcer" is what the old guy has just finished putting around Kakashi's neck. This is the mechanism causes paralysis, which is why it goes over the spine."

"The paralysis, is it reversible?" Sakumo asks hastily.

"Yes, well. It is up to Danzou how long it lasts, but the seal only blocks the nervous impulses. It doesn't sever the nerves themselves."

It's not very reassuring but Sakumo takes what comfort he can.

"This is the last part," Danzou says, forming a series of hand seals before dipping two of his fingers in the ink pot. Sakumo notes with surprise that the elder can move his bandaged right hand with much agility. "The seal goes on the tongue so open your mouth."

Kakashi awkwardly does so and the elder presses his ink-stained fingers against Kakashi's tongue.

"That's the anchor," Hyaku murmurs lowly as the symbols on the ground and on Kakashi's skin begin to writhe to life. Kakashi's eye grows wide as the black symbols crawl rapidly along his body. From feet up, they wrap themselves around his arms and legs like vines before joining the ink on his neck and spine. Skittering like an endless trail of insects, they climb into his mouth and disappear, leaving a heavy copper stench in the air.

The disturbing sight makes Sakumo stomach turn and Rin has both hands pressed tightly over her own mouth, gagging in sympathy. Even Kinoe looks a little pale, probably having remembered his own sealing.

Danzou removes his fingers once the last of the black ink disappears. "There you go. Done." He quickly catches Kakashi by the shoulders when the teen stumbles. Kakashi's gags turn into a hacking fit of coughing, and he claps his hand over his mouth as he doubles over. "Just breathe, slowly—"

The anxiety building up in Sakumo bursts out in a shout when Kakashi suddenly slumps into a dead faint, his feet slipping out underneath him and sending him crashing into Danzou. "Kakashi?!"

Hyaku's hands are already brushing carefully along - through - the young Hatake's jaw, feeling how the new seal's chakra fluctuates. Her lips press into an unhappy slash as she meets Sakumo's and Rin's horrified stares. "Don't worry. Danzou is just testing the seal."

Indeed, as Danzou heaves Kakashi out of the circle and props him up against the wall, the elder looks almost smug. Sakumo growls as he crouches down beside Kakashi, his heart still drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs.

"He's waking up," Rin whispers, watching Kakashi closely as he stirs, her hand placed over his.

"I blacked out," Kakashi mumbles when his eye cracks open once more. He looks up at Danzou with something akin to confusion. "What happened?"

"It's normal," Danzou reassures, still wearing that pleased smile as he wipes his hand on a handkerchief. "Your body is just getting used to the seal."

"...I see." Kakashi moves his tongue in his mouth, grimacing. He wobbles to his feet and Sakumo sighs, relief flooding him. Rin is already sending flying kicks through Danzou's face while Hyaku stands by and shakes her head. "I need to rinse my mouth," grumbles Kakashi.

"Kinoe, show Kakashi the washroom," the elder instructs, sneezing as Rin sends another punch through his nose. "Excuse me."

"Yes sir."

Shutting himself in the small toilet down the hallway, Kakashi cups a handful of water and spits it out grey with ink. The black that had been painted on his neck has disappeared, leaving only three solid black lines and two broken lines on his tongue.

He runs his teeth against it but it doesn't come off.

Sighing, Kakashi rinses his mouth again and splashes his face with water.

"Do you think cutting it out will do anything?" Sakumo asks Hyaku queasily, watching Kakashi stick out his tongue at the mirror.

The Uzumaki kunoichi looks contemplative. "Perhaps, since it's the anchor. But perhaps not. Is that his plan?"

Sakumo shakes his head. "They considered it. But either way, Kakashi will have to find some other way of communicating."

"You need someone who can grow replacement tongues. It's not impossible," Rin says as she joins them again, though she looks a little sick at the thought. "Orochimaru can probably do it." They all fall silent, torn between disgust and intrigue.

"Kinoe," Kakashi calls as he wipes his face.

"Yes?" The boy opens the door and pokes his head around the doorframe. He has Kakashi's clothes in his arms and the older boy accepts them gratefully. "Thank you." Kakashi quickly pulls his shirt on and settles his mask over his face. "Did that happen to you too?"

The small ROOT agent nods, his gaze filled with understanding, if not sympathy. "I'll catch you if you faint again, Kakashi-san."

The unexpectedly kind offer makes Kakashi glance at Kinoe in surprise and all the ghosts beam proudly at the boy. "Thanks."

* * *

 **A/N:** Kinoe is so precious. Sakumo doesn't notice it because he's too busy growling at Danzou, but when Kakashi unmasks, Kinoe is standing at the side frozen in shock because wow, that face!

In the manga (Ch481), Tobirama calls Hiruzen "Saru" which is really cute :3 All the others either call him Sarutobi or Hiruzen, but because Kagami seems like the type to be all for cute nicknames, he calls him Saru.


	79. Chapter 79

Warnings: verbal and physical abuse.

* * *

With the seal now complete, Danzou leaves the introduction of the rest of ROOT to Kinoe. "Find a room for him too," he instructs the brown-haired boy, "and Kakashi, I expect you to be here whenever you do not have duties elsewhere."

"Yes sir," they reply. Hyaku parts ways with them here, saying that she has already seen all that there is to be seen, and leaves Sakumo and Rin to follow the two boys deeper into ROOT.

The headquarters are literally in Danzou's basement, like smaller version of ANBU. There are multiple passages hidden all over the Shimura estate which lead to the underground facilities, and others passages which lead out of Konoha, bypassing the wall completely by tunneling under it. Kinoe shows Kakashi one of the more commonly used passages, which starts in a room next to Danzou's office and leads down to the first basement level.

The narrow stairwell opens up into a large space that burrows at least five stories deep. At various levels, there are wooden beams and criss-crossing wooden walkways running from wall to wall. At the very centre, four walkways meet to form a square, concrete platform, where several ROOT shinobi have gathered in discussion. Kinoe and Kakashi jump from one walkway to the next, using chakra on their feet to landing lightly on the rails as they descend.

The walls surrounding them are plain grey and lined with the occasional heavy steel pipe or iron beam. There are rows of paper-lined windows along those walls as well, all lit with the white-blue glow of electric lighting. The windows cast slanted grids on the floorboards as the light filters faintly through the wooden frames. With a few words, Kinoe points them out as offices, libraries, and various storage areas, though they all look the same from outside.

The metal-plated austerity of the walls, barely softened by the wooden flooring and traditional windows, reminds Sakumo much of Ame. The absence of a perennial background rain sets the ROOT headquarters apart, however, as does the meticulously clean state of the compound. Though the structure creaks with age, it is well-maintained and functional.

Stopping at the bottom-most walkway, Kinoe shows Kakashi the concrete training ground sprawling beneath them on the lowest floor. Even now, late at night, there are a number of ROOT agents training and sparring. The sound of clashing steel peals through the air and the taste of chakra lingers on every breath.

"Everyone has different missions so you'll never really know who's available to spar," Kinoe explains as they peer down. "The only people around all the time are the trainees and some of Danzou-sama's assistants. The latter are shinobi who help Danzou-sama manage ROOT's internal affairs and discipline. I'll point them out to you if we meet them."

They pass through a doorway and down another flight of stairs, right into the circle of rooms hidden behind the thick walls bordering the training ground. There are two parallel rows of rooms along the curved hallway, each with just enough empty space for two futons laid out side-by-side. Strangely, none of them have doors. With one glance, anyone who passes by would be able to see what the occupants are doing, whether it is studying, training, or sleeping. There must be at least a fifty over ROOT agents here, doing their own thing, but there is hardly a whisper of conversation.

"We have a schedule that we follow when we do not have duties or a valid excuse like injury, sickness, post-mission rest, etc." The pervasive quiet makes Kinoe lower his voice to an undertone. "Training starts at four-thirty and usually we either go to the training ground below, or run laps in the forest outside. Danzou-sama is usually also up by then. If you need to practice any jutsu with a chakra output of B-rank or above, you have to do it in the training ground. It is the only room with enough chakra dampening seals."

Their next stop is a large room with rows of benches and tables. Sakumo glimpses a kitchen at the back. "The canteen," Kinoe says. "Breakfast is at six, lunch is at twelve, and dinner is at seven. If you're starving or reporting back at odd hours, there are rations in that room there. Don't take more than you need."

"So who cooks?"

The Mokuton-user makes an odd expression. "Whoever is on duty or whoever did something wrong."

"It's a punishment?" Kakashi sounds incredulous.

"Yes. Or a duty."

"I suppose the food isn't very nice."

Kinoe gives Kakashi another blank look. "Food is for survival. It doesn't have to be nice."

Shaking his head, Kakashi gives the canteen a pitying once-over. "Right."

They continue down through the barracks. The ROOT agents they pass look at Kakashi, then at Kinoe, before simply walking by. There are no greetings, no smiles, no names.

"There's training again at nine, until however late you want to stay up," Kinoe continues, unperturbed. "In between, you do whatever you need to do. Study, mission reports, teaching the trainees, etc. If you ever find yourself unoccupied, go find one of the Danzou-sama's assistants and they'll have plenty of tasks to do. Don't lounge about or..."

Kinoe trails off at the sound of low, angry tones and muffled crying. Rin holds onto Sakumo's arm. "Sound like a child..." she murmurs in concern and Sakumo frowns too. At Kakashi's questioning look, Kinoe hesitates. "These are the trainees' rooms. Someone probably got in trouble. Come on, let's head back, I—"

Kakashi catches the crook of Kinoe's arm and pulls him up short. "Let's go have a look," he suggests casually, though Sakumo recognises the worry in his eye.

"It's none of our business..."

Kakashi regards the young ROOT agent solemnly. "But what if they're getting hurt for no reason? Shouldn't we stop them?"

"You mean, we should check if they're breaking the rules?" Kinoe looks confused.

"Well, yes, I suppose that's partially what I meant." Kakashi tugs Kinoe towards the angry voice and the young ROOT agent's footsteps drag with more and more reluctance as they near.

"—wasting precious resources and wiling away your time...!" they hear a woman scolding, her words saturated with reproval.

"It sounds like Hinoto," Kinoe mumbles, biting his lip. "I think we should go. She's one of Danzou-sama's assistants and she's really strict."

But Kakashi has already barged into the doorless room, just in time to see Hinoto throw a thick sketchbook at the head of one of the children kneeling on the floor. It bounces off the front of his bowed head and clatters onto the floor, the pages falling open to reveal a detailed ink drawing of two people sparring. The child whimpers and ducks his head down further, his shoulders shaking with miserable hiccups. Beside him, an older, grey-haired boy stares holes into the ground, his fists clenched tight into his trousers.

Having sensed Kakashi and Kinoe's presence, Hinoto whirls around, her light brown eyes snapping with warning. "What is it?"

Kinoe flinches, stuttering.

"Maa, I should be asking you that instead," Kakashi replies instead, his posture screaming danger even though his eye is curved in an eye-smile. "What's going on?"

The cloaked man leaning by one of the walls looks up from his book in curiosity and both the children stare up at Kakashi with something akin to awe. There's a bruise starting to show on the smaller ones cheek; a mark of violence that makes Sakumo's throat tighten and his heart sink.

Hinoto's lips stretch into a wide, fake smile. "You are overstepping your boundaries. Leave."

Kakashi looks at the pasty-looking boy who had taken the book to his head and the dark-haired child immediately drops his gaze to the floor, his narrow shoulders hunching further. His friend, though, continues to stare at Kakashi boldly.

"I think that's quite enough," Kakashi murmurs, turning back to Hinoto. "They've learnt their lesson already."

"You must be either incompetent or a fool. This one is still unrepentant." She backhands the grey-haired boy hard enough to send him tumbling to the floor and the other child starts hiccuping in fear again, small sounds that he is trying hard to muffle. "Stop snivelling," she hisses. "Shinobi don't cry. How are you going to serve the village when you're a pathetic, disobedient lump like this?"

"Don't," Kinoe whispers to Kakashi as he holds the glaring teen back. "Don't get in trouble your first day."

"Oh you're already in trouble," the other man mutters, his attention back on his book. Rin lets out a small "eep" when bugs start crawling out from under his cloak and across the floor, marching like a small army towards Kakashi.

"Aburame-san," Kakashi begins, eyeing the kikaichuu lining up in formation before him.

"Don't call me that," the man cuts him off sharply saying. His grimace accentuates the blue tattoo bracketing the right side of his mouth and the insects buzz in agitation. Kakashi falls silent, wary.

Hinoto picks up the sketchbook and tosses it onto the child's lap. "Tear out all the drawings and dispose of them. I don't want to see anything other than the Choujuu Giga* you're supposed to be practicing."

"Y-yes."

She turns, hands on her hips as she regards Kakashi with a critical eye. Her face is as unreadable as a mask, all traces of her earlier anger gone. Sakumo wonders if it had been there in the first place, or if it had been a tactic to scare the children into submission. "You two," she snaps, "come with me."

The kikaichuu part to either side of the room as Hinoto stalks past them and out of the room. "Better hurry," the tattooed man drawls, holding up his book before his face again.

At the back of the room, the grey-haired boy takes the sketchbook from the other boy's hand and starts tearing out the pages for him. Kakashi opens his mouth to say something but Kinoe takes him by the arm and drags him out before he can.

* * *

Hinoto brings them out of the building and into the forest outside.

"Sit," she commands as she takes a seat on the lip of a stone well. She pats the rough stone beside her and Kakashi warily obeys, leaving at least a hand-span's gap between the two of them. Kinoe hovers a few meters away, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

The woman fiddles with an earring and sighs. "Well, that wasn't the best impression you could have gotten, was it?"

Kakashi watches her with an unhappy frown. "They're children. Just four or five."

"And you had already graduated from the Academy at five." She smirks, a teasing cat-like curl to the corner of her lip. "Oh, we know all about you."

He ignores the comment. "You didn't need to terrorise them to get them to listen."

She turns to him then, face shadowed by the fall of her blue-black hair, and leans forward until the condensation from her breath mists his cheek. Kakashi grows very still, his back stiff. "Things are a little different here than what you may be used to in ANBU. Discipline is very important to us. The little kiddies may be cute, but if they can't follow orders, it's going to get them killed." Giving his knee a slow pat, she withdraws her hand, her expression clearing again. "You're new, so I understand it might be a difficult transition—"

Almost faster than Sakumo can track, she twists around and grabs Kakashi by the face. Yelping in shock, Kakashi claws at her hand but she shoves hard and sends him plunging backwards into the depths of the well.

"Kakashi!" Rin shouts as the ghosts run up to the edge of the stone circle.

A large splash greets them. The water level of the well is high enough that Sakumo can see how the moon's reflection breaks over and over again on the rippling, black liquid. "Kakashi!" Sakumo calls, bracing his hands against the stone as he squints into the darkness, pulse thudding.

His boy emerges with sopping wet hair plastered over his face and hitai-ate, spluttering as he treads water. Anger burns in his single grey eye. "You—"

Hinoto's expression is devoid of any sympathy.

Another cry of surprise is torn from Kakashi's throat when he's suddenly dragged beneath the water again, the darkness quickly closing over his head and swallowing him up. Sakumo's mouth grows dry when he realises that the water is filled with _something_ , something scaly and black that knots and slithers just beneath the surface. From the coiling mass, something surfaces— a narrow back and a pale neck; a head of long, moss-green hair to complement the flowing sleeves of a black kosode**.

A white face peers up from the well and Sakumo realises it is a woman. Her loosely-tied garment is plastered against her svelte figure, but once it meets the water, it flares about her and blots out the shattered reflection of moonlight. Sakumo searches the shadows for Kakashi's silver hair, but he only catches a glimpse of a pale belly and sharp hipbones speckled with ink-black scales. Scales that become denser and denser until all that's underwater is a coiling, serpentine tail that he can make no end of.

For a moment he stares at the monstrosity before him, overcome with no small amount of horror. Kakashi has disappeared, just like that.

The woman in the well wraps her arms around her waist and cranes her neck back to give Hinoto a smirk. "Hi. Brought me a snack?" She looks down and the mass of scaly coils shift to reveal a shock of pale, wafting hair. "Little puppy," she sighs, sounding almost chiding as she smiles at the bubbles rising to the surface. Her tail is tightly wound around Kakashi, pinning his arms and legs before pressing him under the water's surface. The air is probably being crushed right out of Kakashi's lungs. "Do you like to swim?"

Rin whimpers and Sakumo searches his memory frantically for any kind of jutsu for underwater breathing. He comes up blank. Kiri has always kept those jutsus top secret. Chakra dances at his fingertips, telling him to kill, to save, but Sakumo bargains with himself, holding back for the sake of Kakashi's cover. It would be suspicious if the creature just dropped dead. _"Twenty more seconds, Kakashi. Think! You can save yourself!"_

The snake-woman peers up at Hinoto again, her eyes emerald green and slit-pupiled. Her mouth turns down at the corners. "You want me to drown him?"

"Just punish him a little." Hinoto says impassively, her voice flat and her expression cold. "Don't kill him."

"Hmmm..." the snake-woman in the well hums happily, tightening her coils and sending a blurt of bubbles up from the indistinct, pale splotch of colour that is Kakashi.

Sakumo can't breathe. His fingers curl into fists, closing around sparks of lightning. _"They can't let him die,"_ he tells himself, but this is _torture_.

"He's such a fighter. So cute. How long can I keep him?" Before Hinoto can reply, electricity sparks through the water and the half-human screeches, her tail splashing as she hugs the singed portions to herself. Kakashi bolts up the side of the well in a split second, his chakra crackling around him like a charged stormcloud. But the walls of the well are slimy with algae and the well-dwelling creature is persistent. "Ouch, ouch!" she whimpers even as she snatches Kakashi back to her side with her versatile tail. "Puppy, it hurts."

"Then let me go!" Kakashi shouts in frustration, wheezing as he tries to wriggle his trapped arms free again. But when she loops another coil around his neck and squeezes in warning, he stills. The white of his eye flashes in the darkness, his mouth open behind his mask as he gasps like a landed fish.

"Quiet, puppy."

With watering eyes, Kakashi glares through his fringe at the snake-woman, then up at Hinoto.

"Still that look," the ROOT agent says lowly. "You _will_ respect how I run this place, do you understand? Or there will be worse things than drowning."

Kakashi squeezes his eye shut, his jaw still set angrily. Hinoto shakes her head. "Make sure you immobilise his fingers. He can do single-handed seals."

"Yes, yes~" the half-human replies cheerfully before sending Kakashi plunging into the water again. Sakumo's heart plunges into the chill with him and Rin makes another small, pained sound.

With a satisfied "hmmph", Hinoto turns away and stalks back towards the building. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. Kinoe, come with me."

The Mokuton-user freezes. "Danzou-sama instructed me to show him around. I am to remain by his side."

She pauses, her sharp eyes flickering across his face, testing for any falsehood. "Very well. If you help him out, you'll be the next one in the well."

* * *

*Super Beast Imitating Drawing

**(小袖) is a basic Japanese robe for both men and women. It is worn as both an undergarment and overgarment. (Wikipedia)

 **A/N:** Yep, those two poor cuties are Sai and Shin. (EDIT: Sorry I forgot to mention that I made them older so Sai is 10 years younger than Kakashi not 14. Hope that won't be weird!) The Aburame man is Tatsuma, who was with Danzou when he threatened Nonou in the filler arc.

In order to make it easier to cultivate loyalty and maintain his image as the leader-who-can-do-no-wrong, Danzou doesn't get physical. He leaves that to the older ROOTs like Hinoto. It's like good cop/bad cop. Even in canon, when Kinoe was talking back to Danzou, he didn't strike him but used the Sharingan instead.

Hinoto is so harsh towards the kiddies because she was also brought up the same way. She's both a victim and a perpetrator.

Several of Danzou's tactics/ROOT things that you may have noticed in recent chapters: (1) he constantly lies to Kakashi; (2) he tells Kakashi he's special/gives him special treatment (when he withdraws attention later, it'll be a bigger psychological blow); (3) lack of doors, lack of privacy; (4) isolation from outside world ("Kakashi, I expect you to be here whenever you do not have duties elsewhere.")


	80. Chapter 80

**A/N:** I changed Sai's and Shin's ages last chapter after posting, so here's a heads up that now, Sai is four and Shin is five! I made them older than they are in canon because I wanted them to be in ROOT the same time Kakashi is :) Also, I just realised Shin's hair is grey. It's corrected now.

* * *

"Guhh!" Kakashi gasps as he is lifted out of the water again, struggling weakly as he heaves for breath through his mask.

"Kakashi!?" Kinoe hisses as he leans over the well, his eyes wide. He notices the snake-woman smiling at him and falters. "Err, hello."

"Hello," she says back in a friendly manner while her captive coughs and wheezes. "Would you like to join us?"

"No thank you," Kinoe replies just as politely, shrinking back from the edge of the well.

 _"A good tactical decision,"_ Sakumo thinks.

She shrugs before turning back to regard Kakashi. "Well, I'm supposed to drown you a bit more, but Hinoto is gone so..." She drops him and they both immediately back off to either side of the well; she with her tail curled back protectively and he with his hands clasped in a seal, panting.

When she leaves him alone as promised, Kakashi turns to brace one arm against the curved wall and pulls his mask down. Hiding his face, he vomits messily into the water.

The snake-woman makes a face. "Yuck. But still, I like you breathing a lot more."

"Me too," Kakashi replies hoarsely, still shuddering but filled to the brim with sarcasm. She grins in amusement, showing the little fangs in her mouth.

"Here," she says, offering her tail tentatively. "Hold on and rest a while."

"Thanks," Kakashi mutters as he pulls his mask back on, too tired to refuse. He goes limp and lets her hold him gently against the wall, his arms tossed over her scaly tail and his right hand still loosely held in a single-handed seal. Noting his laboured breathing, Kinoe peers at him in worry.

"Shall I get a medic?"

A wet cough and a strained smile is his reply. "I'll be okay."

Just as Sakumo is about to ask Rin to look Kakashi over, the med-nin hops into the well with a grim expression. "They're taking this too lightly. Drowning isn't just a matter of counting down the minutes until unconsciousness." Half-floating, she puts her hands through the well creature's tail until they're somewhere in Kakashi's chest cavity. The way her face darkens makes Sakumo's own breath grow shallow.

"How is his heart?" he asks, remembering the Hyuuga med-nin's warnings.

"Misfiring."

Sakumo bites back his questions as Rin makes several hand seals in quick succession. She puts her hands in Kakashi's chest again, her eyes closed as she regulates the electrical impulses of her teammate's heart. Gradually, the crease between Kakashi's brows smooths and his breathing begins to even. Her hands move lower to the lungs and the corner of her mouth turns down further. "Water in lungs, too," she mutters.

"What's your name?" Kakashi asks, trying to distract the two people (that he can see) staring at him.

"My name?" The woman turns her face towards the star-studded sky above them and takes a moment to think. "You can call me Inoue*."

"'On the well'? Shouldn't it be 'in the well'?" Kakashi deadpans, coughing out water again when Rin does more hand seals and sticks her hands behind his ribs again.

"Oh, you're funny!" Inoue claps her hands with a delighted giggle. "You're right, but Inonaka** doesn't flow as well, does it?"

"I suppose not," Kakashi murmurs.

Giving Kakashi a sad glance, Rin sighs. She floats back up to where Sakumo is waiting and curls up by his side, her brow knitted tightly as she glowers at the ground. "I've done what I can. I'll keep monitoring him to make sure he doesn't suffer from secondary drowning - that is, drowning from damage done to the lungs - but that shouldn't happen anymore."

"Thank goodness you're here," he murmurs gratefully, but she just shakes her head with a small smile.

Inoue swims forward, her head tilted curiously when she notices Kakashi's shivering. "Are you cold? Here, I'll lend you some heat—"

"Um, no, it's quite alright—!"

"I don't mind—!"

There's a splash and a bit of flailing from Kakashi but Inoue succeeds in wrapping her tail further around Kakashi slowly, making sure that he has his arms free this time. The young jounin doesn't look amused as he slumps in her loose coils, immersed in the water up to his chin.

"That's better, isn't it? I'm still quite warm-blooded. You don't have to waste energy trying to keep afloat either. Your flak jacket looks quite heavy..." She seems quite proud of herself and Kakashi gives her a exasperated huff.

"Thanks, I guess." He looks down at the shiny black scales beneath his hands. "You _are_ really warm."

Making a happy sound, she wraps him up in her arms and embraces him tight. Rin growls and Kakashi gives a small gasp, his face flushing. Inoue quickly backs off again, babbling. "And you're really nice! I'm sorry for drowning you! Most people look at me weird but you don't." She trails off, smile fading, as she looks down at her tail.

Kakashi pats her tail awkwardly and Inoue's face lights up in a smile again. "Puppy, do you want to see an underground cave? The wind can get a bit cold out here, but if we're underground it'll be warmer. I'm used to the cold, but you'll get sick."

"Where are you going? In case Hinoto asks." Kinoe is leaning over the edge to look at them again, his hands clutched tight over the edge.

"There's a whole water system underground connected to this well. Technically, we won't be leaving." Inoue smiles slyly, her green eyes almost shining as they reflect the moonlight.

Kinoe still looks hesitant, but when a gust of chilly wind causes Kakashi to sneeze, he nods. "I'll wait here then."

"Why don't you go back? You don't need to wait for me out in the cold. Go catch some sleep," Kakashi suggests, still sniffling.

"I-I can sleep here," Kinoe insists before quickly sitting down beside the well, as if to root himself into the ground lest someone drag him away. His eyes are wide as he hugs his knees to himself. "Goodnight!" Rin smirks at how Kinoe's voice turns a little squeaky towards the end and Sakumo chuckles. It says some very sad things about his life in ROOT, though, that he is so touched at Kakashi's simple concern.

In the well, Kakashi blinks at where Kinoe had been. "Goodnight."

"Alright! Hold your breath and hold onto me," Inoue chirps, turning around to offer her back.

Pink with embarrassment, Kakashi wraps his arms loosely around her neck. "I'm not a kid."

Ignoring his muttering, Inoue shifts in the water. "Deep breath!" she warns cheerfully before they're diving into its depths.

"Come on!" Rin shouts in alarm when they disappear. She grabs Sakumo's hand and jumps, pulling him right through the well's walls and into water.

"But can we breathe—"

He shuts his mouth quickly when the water closes over his head.

* * *

Ghosts _don't_ need to breathe, Sakumo learns, even though he still technically can, even underwater. It's just a reflex held over from their life; a habit that he hadn't realised was no longer needed. It feels strange to swim, now that water passes through his body instead of around him, tickling along the insides of his lungs and making him want to cough.

The underground waterways are very dark but there's light at the end of the tunnel, literally. Through the crystal clear water, the distant light catches in Kakashi's silver hair, making every strand glow in the darkness. It reflects off Inoue's scales as well, forming glittering trails that oscillate with the movement of her tail. There's a strange grace to her movements, and Sakumo is reminded of the old legends, of how the Shodaime Mizukage summoned leviathans to his aid.

Orochimaru would have been intrigued by that.

The light brightens, illuminating the rough brick walls curving around them, and she pushes off the ground with her tail to pass through an arched doorway. They burst into a bright, artificial whiteness, just like the lighting of a—

"A lab," Sakumo breathes.

They surface in a glass tank. Rin makes a shocked gurgling sound and Sakumo inhales sharply— a faintly chemical-tinged breath of air that the open-topped tank affords.

From wall to wall, the lab is lined with huge glass columns, in which other half-humans like Inoue are suspended limply in pale green fluid. Yet other smaller containers contain preserved animals and organs, and - Sakumo's gut churns at the sight - even embryos and fetuses, floating in bubbling incubation chambers connected to various pipes and wires.

Inoue glances about, relaxing only when she is sure that they're alone. The barely noticeable gills at the sides of her neck open and close as she whispers to Kakashi. "This is one of Orochimaru's labs. We're out of Konoha already." He nods, his eyes wide with horror as he takes in what has been laid before them.

"Are they alive?" Kakashi whispers, his hitai-ate pushed up and his Sharingan swirling as he stares at the half-sharks, half-seals, half-octupi...

"In a fashion," she murmurs back, her words heavy. Kakashi's arms tighten around her neck and he shivers. "Come, we have a way to go."

After Kakashi takes another breath, they submerge into the water again and take a left turn, moving swiftly away from the light this time. They swim down, down, down, pressure building in their ears as the bricks in the walls strip away to bare, hard rock.

Just when the deepening darkness begins to invite the first stirrings of doubt, blue pinpricks of light begin along the bottom of the tunnel, clustering together until they become solid trails of guiding light. "Chakra lights," Sakumo turns to tell Rin, his voice echoing strangely in his own ears. "They draw a miniscule amount of energy from any living being passing through and convert it into light. Uzushio used to be _covered_ in them, but..."

The lights grow stronger until eventually the waters turn into rocky shallows. They break the surface, scattering water droplets everywhere as they climb ashore. The same blue lights are written in swirls and lines along the smooth, curved dome of the artificial cave, like stylized clouds in a dark sky, or a constellation of stars. The eerie glow refracts in the waters, making lights and shadows dance in rippling patterns, and the small island of sand is coloured a soft blue.

Kakashi sits, gasping, and Inoue flops onto the ground next to him, her arms spread. "Lovely, isn't it?" she says breathlessly, her tail swishing lazily in the water.

"I can't believe Danzou has something like this hidden away," Kakashi says in wonder, his fingers curling into the fine, white sand. The air is stale but breathable, and the only scent is that of sand and freshwater. "What is it used for?"

"A burial ground, actually," Inoue laments, and everyone freezes.

Sakumo looks down at the fine sand beneath his feet again, his impression of this place completely changed in an instant. "For who?" Rin asks, sounding strangled.

The half-snake runs her fingers through the sand, drawing random patterns onto the ground as she lies there.

"Am I going to die?" Kakashi asks flatly.

Sand sprays as she gestures frantically. "Oh no! I'm not going to kill you! I said I wouldn't." She pouts and looks so hurt that Kakashi has to assure her that he's joking. "Orochimaru has me bury the remains of his... experiments sometimes." She pats the ground gently, as if she is comforting a person. Maybe she is. "He has a crematory that he uses, but there are always bones and ashes left over. I don't know what this place was for originally - maybe some kind of ceremonial chamber for the Shimura clan - but Orochimaru says it's okay to bury them here, so..."

The young Hatake looks over the cave, from the still water to the domed ceiling, his gaze dark as it lingers on the smooth expanse of sand. "How many are there here?"

Inoue presses her cheek against the ground, her palm smoothing over the marks she had made. She looks up at him from under thick lashes, her pupils wide slashes of bottomless black.

"More than you'd want to know, puppy."

* * *

*井上 where 井 is read as 'i' and 上 is 'ue' but together they are 'inoue'. It's a common Japanese surname.

**井中 doesn't exist, but since 井 is 'i' and 中 is 'naka', going by the same convention, I came up with 'inonaka'. Okay this is just a long explanation for something I essentially made up but yeah...

* * *

 **A/N:** I assure you Kakashi is safe ;) See you all in a few weeks! :)


	81. Chapter 81

**A/N:** Sorry it's been such a long while, guys! I've had a lot of real life stuff to take care of because I'm going for an exchange to the Netherlands in less than three weeks (yay!). And I've had terrible writer's block for Ghost, gah. I'm not quite back in the groove yet but I want to start posting again :) I've missed you guys so much.

Say hello to Kakashi's new ANBU team! :3

* * *

"He's late," the purple-haired girl grumbles, her elbows propped against the ANBU headquarters' canteen table and her chin in her hands. She kicks the shin guard of the man slumped opposite her but the Nara just continues to nap, his face buried in his arms. "He's been late for _a whole day_."

"Maybe he's dead," the third member of their team suggests, scrubbing a hand through his short brown hair with a sigh.

Sakumo doesn't even want to think about how close Kakashi had come to making that jest true, yesterday night. There's an ugly ball of anger simmering in Sakumo's stomach, but he tries to focus on the present. Kakashi is safe, now. He's here right beside Sakumo, though he can't see him or feel his chakra because of the chameleon jutsu Kakashi had layered over himself. Sakumo can imagine it though, how Kakashi would be sprawled along the railing with his novel dangling from his fingers, dozing off as he waits for his team to realise he's watching them from the second floor.

"Let's go ask for a new captain," the ANBU suggests.

The girl's hazel eyes flash as she sits up, her spine ramrod straight. "No way, Kou! Remember what Gazelle said? We don't get a team unless someone chooses us, so it means that Hound-taichou chose us!"

"But he just got promoted," Kou argues. "A captain can't be a captain without a team, so he has to choose someone. Or he'll be a captain of nothing."

 _"He's actually right,"_ Sakumo thinks, remembering how Kakashi had picked out their files with hesitant fingers, as if they were scorpions instead of bundles of paper.

Still, she isn't disheartened— quite the opposite, in fact. "Don't you dare step one foot into the admin office, or I will personally replace all your kunai with rubber ducks!"

A startled bark of laughter escapes Sakumo. "How cute," Rin murmurs, hiding a laugh behind her hand at the murderous expression on the ANBU's still-chubby face.

Kou raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "Is that what the Academy is teaching you all nowadays, Yagao?"

"It's Yugao!" The girl narrows her eyes, clearly unhappy that she is the team's youngest at twelve. Kou is at least twenty by Sakumo's guess, and the Nara thirty-something. ANBU's manpower shortage must be quite severe if the age limit has been lowered to include children just out of the Academy. Sakumo doesn't mean to imply that Yugao was recruited just to make up the numbers, though. That would be the equivalent of sending her to her death, and there is no point in that. Even if it is only to avoid a waste of resources, Sakumo has that much faith left in Konoha, at least.

"That's it," Yugao declares, her hands bundling into fists as she glares at her new teammate. "I'll switch them out for _centipedes_ , just for you _._ "

"I'll squish them."

"I'll replace them."

"I'll chop them to bits."

"I'll stuff them in your mouth when you're asleep!"

"Great, extra protein!" Kou cackles, clearly enjoying the way Yugao is working herself up into a conniption. "You should give Hound- _taichou_ some in his breakfast cereal too. He's still not here, that bastard."

"Don't you call Hound-taichou a bastard!" Yugao screeches, shooting out of her chair. "His parents were perfectly well married!" Sakumo snorts, both amused and bemused at the her defense of Kakashi.

The older ANBU dodges her lunges with a laugh, dancing backwards around their sleeping teammate. "What do you even know, kid." His amusement morphs into an exaggerated expression of worry when Yugao draws her katana, her brows stitched together angrily in a frown. "Don't run with sharp things, dear, they're dangerous!"

"You...!"

"Shut up," the Nara grumbles, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He tilts his head to side and groans at the loud 'pop' his neck makes. "You're embarrassing yourself in front of Hound-taichou."

"W-what?" Yugao stammers, fumbling as she sheathes her sword behind her back. A flush creeps up her face.

Kou scans his surroundings with wide eyes. "Where, Mitsuo?" There is no-one in the canteen; lunch was long over.

The Nara points with one hand, his other covering a large yawn. "There."

Kakashi drops his jutsu and waves cheerfully. If Sakumo hadn't known what Kakashi had suffered yesterday, he might have missed the faint stiffness in Kakashi's limbs as he leapt down to the ground floor and sauntered over to his new team.

Kakashi had spent the night in the underground burial place, sleeping fitfully in his damp clothes, before Inoue delivered him back up to the well near dawn. Still, it took some time for Hinoto to arrive with a medic and give Kakashi permission to get out of the freezing water. It didn't require much acting to convince Hinoto that Kakashi was half-dead, but Hinoto brushed it off once the medic concluded it was simply exhaustion.

Sakumo wonders how many of their shinobi have already died because of their cruel methods.

"I was waiting for you all to notice me," Kakashi says in lieu of a greeting. With his hands tucked in his pockets, one eye shut and the other halfway closed, he is a picture of indifference. That is, if only they are blind to the sharp disapproval in his chakra. "And here our dear Lynx had already realised." His gaze lands on the other two ANBU and they stiffen, expecting him to lay into them. However, Kakashi just sighs and turns back to Mitsuo. "Why did you not inform your teammates?"

The Nara is silent for a moment, his slumped posture belying his tension. "I figured that if there was anything that you wanted us to do, you'd show yourself. Otherwise, I might be ruining a test or—"

"Don't make excuses," Kakashi snaps, and Mitsou falls silent, his head lowering. It's vaguely amusing, seeing a grown man getting scolded by a boy barely half his age. "This isn't about me, but you. I can accept apathy but not when it disadvantages the team. Even if you weren't interested in commencing training, your teammates were clearly invested in finding my whereabouts."

"I'm sorry."

"Apologise to your teammates, not me."

Visibly downtrodden, Mitsuo shifts to face the other two. "I'm sorry."

"Oh it's okay...!" Yugao hurries to assure him and Kou nods, his face blank.

"You two," Kakashi declares sharply, making Yugao freeze and Kou pale. Mitsuo sags further into his chair, glad that Kakashi's attention is no longer on him. "I never expected the two of you to sense me since neither of you are sensors. This isn't a criticism," he adds when Yugao seems torn between relief and disappointment in herself. "However, both of you should have asked Mitsuo. It is crucial that each team member understand the skill sets of every other person. Otherwise, the team will never function at an optimum."

Raising his left arm, he pretends to check the time. His team stares at his bare wrist in confusion. "Well, isn't it late?" Kakashi says, cheery once more. "We've wasted a whole day." He tucks his hands back into his pockets. "I'll see you all at Training Ground 5 at seven tomorrow morning. I'll bring some food, so don't eat breakfast." His team relaxes a fraction as he turns to leave, only to snap back to attention when he whirls back around, fixing them with a dangerous smile. "Oh, and since there was some confusion earlier on, I'd better clarify. My parents were, as Yugao said, "perfectly well married"."

With a dramatic mini-tornado of leaves, Kakashi disappears, leaving Kou mortified and Yugao nearly bouncing with glee.

"Aha, you stupid Puma! Our captain is so cool!" the purple-haired ANBU squeals. "Did you hear that? He's treating us to breakfast!"

Mitsuo collapses back onto the table, face-first, and Kou buries his face in his hands. Yugao pats both of them on the head, her eyes still sparkling. "Don't worry, I'm sure he doesn't hate any of us."

"I smell something fishy," Rin says suspiciously, bumping her shoulder against Sakumo's and lifting an eyebrow.

Sakumo bumps her back, chuckling. "Can't Kakashi be nice?"

"Have you seen him at the grocery store?" the med-nin gasps.

"He gets the best deals!" Sakumo protests. "It doesn't mean he's cheap!"

"Uh-huh," Rin says skeptically. She dissolves into angry squeaks when Sakumo ruffles her hair.

* * *

"You have a stalker," Genma whispers to Kakashi, senbon clinking between his teeth, as they wait outside Ichiraku for their takeaway.

Kakashi turns around and peers into the pre-dawn gloom, opening his Sharingan a fraction. "Hmm. I know that little kitty."

The older boy grins crookedly. "Should we order another portion?"

Shrugging, Kakashi turns back to the stall, his Sharingan slipping shut. "Sure, why not. Don't touch this one though."

Rin elbows Sakumo with a teasing "I told you so" and the older Hatake raises his hands sheepishly in defeat.

"So this "little kitty" is important, eh, Kakashi?"

Ignoring the smirking toukubetsu-jounin, Kakashi grabs one of the laminated menus and raises it above the other patrons' heads. "Teuchi-san," he calls, pressing his finger to the picture of a rice bowl set. "One unagi set as well, please. Takeaway."

The shopowner glances over and smiles. "Alright, coming right up!"

Stomach growling, Sakumo watches mournfully as Teuchi prepares all those delicious rice bowls. Rin looks at him and shakes her head in pity and exasperation. "Those puppy-eyes aren't going to work, you know..."

Closing his eyes, Sakumo leans further over the counter. His mouth waters as he inhales the savoury smell of some random chuunin's miso ramen. "Rin, do you have one of those ration bars?"

"I have an infinite number of them," she sighs, summoning one into her hand with a snap of her fingers. "They're not going to help though."

Sakumo just gives her a narrow-eyed smirk as he unwraps the ration bar, like he knows something she doesn't. "They say half the taste is in the smell. And a good visual helps too." He takes a bite of the ration bar and hums happily. "See? I can already taste the miso."

"Uh-huh," Rin says, ducking out of Sakumo's reach when he tries to ruffle her hair again.

"Why are you so sarcastic," Sakumo bemoans.

She crosses her arms with a helpless smile. "Because you just decided to eat crunchy miso-flavoured cardboard."

"It's the very best," he declares solemnly.

Several minutes later, the containers of food are all wrapped up in a paper bag which Teuchi places on the counter. "Thanks," Kakashi says, squeezing through the crowd as he produces several bills from his kunai pouch. "Looks like the new breakfast menu is going to bring you a fortune." He nods at the long queue stretching out into the street with a crinkle-eyed smile.

Teuchi adjusts his chef's hat with a rumbling laugh. "Only thanks to everyone's support, Kakashi-san. Have a good day!"

The silver-haired jounin gives him a wave before pushing back out of the restaurant. He hands Genma the plastic bag with a smirk and the other shinobi gives a low whistle. "You sure about this? Your team is going to absolutely hate you."

Kakashi just shrugs, amusement dancing in his eye. "It'll teach them not to ask me to pay for things."

Rin elbows Sakumo again and the older Hatake sighs.

* * *

 **A/N:** Haha Kakashi. Treating his ANBU team like kindergartners. "Say sorry to the other kids, Mitsuo!" Btw, I've made Yugao a bit older than she is in canon. She's still young though, so she's a bit OOC because she hasn't gotten over her Kakashi-super-fan stage yet :P


	82. Chapter 82

The sun is bright and Kakashi's single eye is curved in a smile. He sits with his ANBU team at the edge of the training field, unpacking their food onto a picnic blanket. He speaks with his team freely, poking fun at them and generally giving no indication of being affected by Snake's death or the happenings in ROOT.

Perhaps that is the clearest indicator that Kakashi _isn't_ alright, but Sakumo sees the occasional flash of genuine warmth when Kakashi looks at his bantering team. When he's with them, Kakashi's mind can't linger in the white-washed walls of the mortuary or the dark halls of ROOT, and that... that must be a breath of fresh air. A moment of relief.

"Ittadakimasu!"

Hungry from running laps around the grassy field, the new ANBU dig into their rice bowls wish relish. The food is still warm; a useful side-effect of using sealing scrolls to store things. "It's good!" Yugao exclaims with a pleased sound of surprise. "Thanks captain!"

"You're welcome," Kakashi replies, that playful glint in his eye again.

"Has our little kitty gotten his breakfast too?" Rin asks, peering at the edge of the forest where Kakashi had deliberately left the unagi rice bowl set. When asked about his curious actions, Kakashi gave his team a Obito-worthy spiel about wooden cats that sprout from trees. Kou's eyes had bugged out rather comically at that, but Kinoe obviously got the joke, since the plastic container is nowhere to be seen.

"Introductions," the young Hatake announces, replacing his mask with a crinkle-eyed smile before anyone can catch a glimpse of his face. He sets his empty bowl down and takes a leisurely sip of tea through his mask. "Tell me the name, code-name, and the specialty of the person sitting to your right. Kou, why don't you start."

"Uh," the brown-haired man says, looking at Mitsuo, who sits back and raises an eyebrow. "He's Nara Mitsuo. Code-name Lynx. He's a sensor and he can use the Nara secret shadow jutsus." Kou wiggles his fingers as he says that and Yugao giggles.

Mitsuo looks to his right and sighs. "How troublesome. Everyone knows you."

"Then why don't say something that not everyone knows," Kakashi challenges.

The Nara tips his head back, his face turned towards the bright blue sky. Finally, he looks at Kakashi again, a crooked smile on his lips. "You were a finnicky baby. Your mother had eyebags because of you."

Sakumo laughs, because it's true. The shopkeepers in the morning market commented on her zombie-like look and Yoriko had been horrified.

Kakashi's eyebrows have disappeared under his hitai-ate. "Oh dear. My misdeeds have been exposed," he says dryly, though the softening of his gaze shows he appreciates Mitsuo's comment. It must be nice to know something lighthearted about his parents without all that baggage of death and duty attached.

He turns to Yugao. "Uzuki Yugao," he begins, and there are already spots of colour high on her cheeks. Kakashi pretends he doesn't notice. "Code-name Ocelot. Specialty in kenjutsu."

"That's me!" Yugao beams. She turns and points at Kou. "This guy is Amano Kou, also known as Puma. He looks skinny—"

"Hey!"

"—but he's actually a super fast taijutsu user!"

"That's better."

Kakashi nods approvingly. "Seems like everyone has done their homework. I hope breakfast has already settled a bit, because we'll be doing a team exercise now to prepare for future missions. This team is organised according to the metrics of an infiltration-slash-recovery team. Since we have so many front-line fighters, we'll probably get missions with a decent risk of combat if the infiltration portion goes wrong." He sips his tea again as he gestures at the field. "See these flags?"

The team nods. While Kakashi was buying breakfast for everyone, a clone set up the training field. The piece of land is now dotted randomly with about fifty little bright red flags.

"There are antidotes hidden in underneath some of them."

"Those poor children," Rin sighs, shaking her head, as Kakashi's team stares at him in alarm. "Don't eat food offered by strangers."

"Antidotes?" Mitsuo says slowly. Kou gags.

There's a pleased look on their captain's face. "I've poisoned all of you. In fifteen minutes, you'll lose all sensation and fine motor control. The effects will kick in within five minutes."

"A-are you kidding?" Yugao gasps. The poor kid's wide-eyed look of betrayal makes even Sakumo feel bad.

Kakashi smiles fades as he regards them severely with his single eye. "This is to simulate a mission where things have "gone wrong" from the outset. The enemy has already gained an advantage over you but the mission is still incomplete."

"What exactly is the mission?" Mitsuo asks lowly, his eyes narrowed.

"To transport this super-duper military technology from Snow," Kakashi says as he unseals a sandbag marked "20 kg", "from here to the white circle, which is the safe zone." He points to the other side of the field, which is at least one two hundred meters away. "If you don't make it before the thirty minute mark, that's when the pain is going to hit. Might as well move on to torture resistance straightaway, yes?"

"And the enemy is you," Yugao says in a wobbly voice, her hands clenched in the picnic cloth.

"I'll be trying to stop you every step of the way," Kakashi confirms. He does looks at his pretend-watch again. "Oh, look. I've used up thirty-five seconds of your first five minutes! Better get going!"

The team disappears with a sharp displacement of air.

To both Rin's and Sakumo's surprise, Kakashi doesn't give them the chance to regroup and discuss. Instead, he goes after them immediately, like a real enemy would, and leaves a clone behind to guard the sandbag.

The team splits into two just like how their usual interactions are divided. Yugao and Kou take up one side of the field while Mituso darts into the shadowed forest opposite them. Both groups are halfway between the sandbag and the white circle.

When Kakashi comes for them, Yugao reacts without hesitation, her feet digging firmly into the ground as she meets Kakashi blow for blow, the sound of metal against metal pealing through the air. Kou joins in immediately with swift hits and dizzying shunshins, a kunai in hand to deflect Kakashi's blade. The battle quickly becomes a stalemate, however, when Kakashi pushes up his hitai-ate and reveals his Sharingan.

While they are occupied, Mitsuo rapidly extends his shadow jutsu towards the sandbag, using the ankle-height grass as cover for the incorporeal shadow binds. It's a standard tactic to be expected from a Nara. The Kakashi-clone reacts as expected and uses a Doton, causing a dome of dirt to enclose it swiftly. Mitsuo's shadow jutsu is left poking helplessly over its surface.

Hidden away from sight, it takes all of three heartbeats for the clone to tunnel into the earth and appear behind Mitsuo, the sandbag hoisted over it's back as it jabs its fingers towards the Nara's neck. Mitsuo dodges and rolls, hissing as he falls back into a crouch and folds his hands into the Rat seal.

Shadows burst into ribbon-like serpents and the clone scurries up the nearest tree like a monkey, sandals skinning bark. It barely escapes, and only by dramatically throwing itself out of the six metre tree and into the sun's protection. There is no time to rest, however, as a second set of shadow binds is already rushing along the ground the moment the clone lands.

Mitsuo's has the reserves to spare, it seems. "Get the clone!" he shouts, using his jutsu to corral the clone towards his teammates.

"Uh!" Yugao grunts as a kick from the real Kakashi catches her in the stomach, sending her stumbling. Even as she falls back, leaving Kou to hold fort, she hurls her sword at Kakashi's running clone. The blade spins tip over hilt, the glint of the sun against its polished surface nearly blinding Sakumo, and slips neatly through the clone's thigh.

Clone Kakashi disappears into a fizzle of lightning and the sandbag flops onto the ground.

With a grin that shows too many teeth, Mitsuo plants his feet in the forest's shadows and quickly picks the sandbag up with his jutsu. Eager not to waste their first taste of success, he hurries it towards the white circle, the jutsu moving like a snake with its prey in its jaws. "Start looking for the antidotes," he orders, "I'll handle this!"

"Got it," Kou shouts back. Both he and Kakashi are breathing hard as they clash in a brutal round of bare-handed combat. Every blow is bruising but despite Kakashi's shorter stature, he's is wearing Kou down steadily. "Ocelot!"

"Right!" Snatching up her sword, Yugao runs for the nearest red flag and yanks it out of the ground. Tied to the long bamboo stem is a carrot, of all things. Yugao stares at it, flabbergasted, before hurrying onto the next flag a meter away.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu," Kakashi growls as he falls back, using the moment's reprieve to finish a blur of hand seals.

Eyes widening, Kou tries to stop him, but Kakashi wipes his finger along a cut on his bicep and slams his bloodied hand onto the ground. Instantly, all eight of his ninken appear in a plume of smoke, ready and raring to go. "Go get the sandbag, boys!"

With yips and howls of excitement, they charge towards poor Mitsuo, who hurls the sandbag at the white circle with all the strength his shadow jutsu has.

"Bad idea," Sakumo chuckles, because anyone who's had a dog before would know that playing catch is one of their favourite things*. True enough, the ninken speed up and become little drooling bullets of brown, white, and blue.

Bull body-slams the sandbag out of the air with his solid mass, halting it's trajectory before it can land where Mitsuo had aimed. Shiba, Guruko and Uhei grab at its corners with their sharp teeth and take off running in the opposite direction, while the other four gang up on Mitsuo and try to keep him from following. The pack's teamwork is impeccable.

Mitsuo curses and starts fighting his way through the dogs— not an easy task when most of his opponents are toddler sized and faster than wild hares. Pakkun shows his mean streak when he sinks his teeth into the ANBU's backside, making the man howl like a ninken himself.

"Good boys," Kakashi murmurs with breathless laughter. "Feeling alright?" he asks Kou lightly.

"Just fine," the brown-haired ANBU chuckles, even though he looks quite the contrary of "alright". His face is flushed and there's a faint tremor to his raised fists as they circle, buying time to catch their breath. "Are you going to use that Chidori of yours?"

Kakashi tilts his head, an unreadable look in his eyes. "No need for that." He claps his hands into a seal and blue-white lightning flares, forming into canine-like shapes that lunge at Kou and Yugao.

"Fuuton!" Yugao cries, her armful of flags and carrots dropping to the ground as an arc of wind hurtles towards the lightning-wolves advancing on Kou. The rest of them dissipate with several swings of her Fuuton layered sword as she fights her way to Kou's side, and the last lightning-wolf dissipates when she kicks a carrot through it's jaws.

"Did she just use Fuuton on a carrot?" Rin gasps, rushing forward to examine the charred orange mush on the ground. "That's... so cool!"

"She's found an antidote too," Sakumo says, nodding at the glass vial that Yugao presses into Kou's hand.

They switch roles, leaving her to battle Kakashi as Kou downs the antidote. "Okay!" he says, throwing aside the vial just as Kakashi sends a Katon flying towards their youngest ANBU.

She yelps when Kou grabs her and shunshins them both away. Her sword falls out of her twitching hand during the sudden movement and she look back at it, aghast, when they land. "I can't feel my hands." She looks horrified.

 _"All of them have been exerting themselves,"_ Sakumo notes, _"but the poison must be affecting her faster because of her smaller size."_

"Can you still pull out the flags?" Kou asks, stepping into another shunshin as Kakashi comes after them again.

Yugao must have said yes, because he drops her off at another patch of flags, some distance away from Mitsuo's ongoing struggle with the ninken. One of the shadow binds catches Bisuke and the effects of the shadow imitation techique makes the summon face-plant right into the ground. (Mitsuo's two-legged run being unable to match up with the ninken's four-legged lope, after all.) The poor man has a shadow holding Pakkun up by his henohenomoheji vest and another tangled up with Akino's and Urushi's legs, but the other four dogs are still guarding the sandbag.

"Lynx," she shouts, sweat tracking down her jaw as she holds up an antidote victoriously. She must have had a lucky break. "Get one of your shadow things here!"

"Drink it yourself then find one for me!" Mitsuo yells back, not turning back to look at her. A three meter radius of writhing shadows force the remaining ninken to back off as he closes in on the sandbag. "My ninjutsu isn't affected by the poison!"

 _"He would be if he has to let go of the hand seal for any reason,"_ Sakumo observes to himself. _"His fingers must be numb."_ Sure enough, after the ANBU picks up the sandbag with his jutsu, his slow walk back towards the white circle is becoming clumsy.

Determination colours Yugao's face as she pries the vial's cork off with her teeth and downs the orange liquid. Behind her, there's an explosion of steam as Kakashi and Kou continue their ninjutsu battle.

Yugao is off gathering another armful of carrots again when Mitsuo groans her codename. She looks up just in time to catch the sandbag he'd hurled at her. "Oof!" Their eyes meet and Mitsuo nods, his face in a grimace of pain, and she's off using the fastest shunshin she can muster. The circle is twenty metres away, then ten, five, two...

The sandbag thuds into the goal just as the dogs gain upon her, and they all skid to a stop, panting and whining in disappointment. They recover quickly, though, and Bull congratulates her with a gruff "good job".

She spares a smile before she's hurrying back to the few remaining flags again, pulling them out with vengeance while trying to dodge the ninken. "Hang on!" she shouts at Mitsuo. "I'm almost done!" Unfortunately, she quickly gets caught under a literal dogpile. "No!" she wheezes as she struggles in vain under their combined weight. Bull is _heavy_.

A glance over at Kou and Kakashi confirms that Kou is flagging as well. Noting that the sandbag is in the goal, Kakashi finishes off the fight quickly with a combined genjutsu and taijutsu attack. "Dead," Kakashi says, pressing his kunai against Kou's throat before releasing him. The ninken get off Yugao too, whining and nuzzling her face in apology.

The young Hatake turns towards his team, still breathing hard as he puts his weapons away. "Well done, everyone. The mission is complete. But..." He begins walking towards Mitsuo, who has curled into a miserable ball of pain on the ground. "I'm afraid all of you would have died."

* * *

*This is actually... not true, haha. I had a dog that loved to run around and chase things, but I never managed to get her to play catch with me. She was also comically scared of the sea.

 **A/N** : So... do you think Kakashi's ANBU team did well? :) And uh, how was the fight scene? Any constructive criticism will be appreciated very much :) Action scenes aren't my strong point but I'm trying to improve on them!


	83. Chapter 83

**A/N:** Has it been one whole year since I last updated?! How did time pass that fast?! I'm so, so, terribly sorry for leaving you all hanging. It has been a long year full of ups and downs, and writer's block. Admittedly Sakumo and Kakashi are no longer my current obsessions anymore, but I am still deeply fond of their story. Hopefully, I will be able to bring us through some more exciting moments that I have prepared, even though I cannot promise any consistent posting schedule.

Thank you to everyone who has shown me so much love and patience! I appreciate all your kudos, comments, follows, and views. This fic would not have come so far without your support.

 **Recap:** In previous chapters, Kakashi killed his good friend and senpai Snake in order to prove his loyalty to Danzou. Upon joining ROOT, he received a seal on his tongue. So far, he has met Kinoe, Inoue (a half-snake, half-human experiment of Orochimaru's), Hinoto (an abusive ROOT agent), and Sai and Shin briefly. Kakashi is currently conducting his first training session for his new ANBU team, now that he is an ANBU captain. His team comprises of Uzuki Yugao (Ocelot), Amano Kou (Puma), and Nara Mitsuo (Lynx).

Enjoy!

* * *

Kakashi helps Mitsuo drink some antidote first. "I'm mean, but not _that_ mean," he assures, giving the groaning man his trademark eye-smile.

"It feels like food poisoning," Mitsuo moans with his face in the grass. The rest of the team is similarly slumped on the ground, panting. "I demand compensation. Your dog bit me in the ass."

Yugao giggles nervously, surrounded by Kakashi's ninken and busy giving them scratches. There are a lot of wagging tails.

Kakashi sits down with a huff, his legs stretched out before him. "So. Things that you did well and things that you didn't. Anyone want to start?"

Mitsuo drags a hand over his face. "The bad: everyone died; the good: we got the sandbag."

"That's the gist of it. The loss of an entire ANBU team is pretty much catastrophic, especially if any of you are captured alive, but this is what training for. How could we have decreased the number of casualties?"

There is a silence.

"Maybe we could have switched roles?" Kou suggests tentatively, his voice gaining strength as the team turns to him. "Mitsuo's shadow jutsu could have helped Yugao with the antidotes."

The girl hums in agreement. "Maybe you could have even pulled them all out at once, at the very beginning. Then we would have been able focus on Kakashi-taichou and the sandbag."

Mitsuo nods, sighing. "I could have used some help with the ninken from either Kou or Yugao," He jokingly narrows his eyes at Pakkun but the pug just snorts and pretends to doze. "I could catch some of them but if I managed to pass on that sandbag earlier, it might have worked out better."

"I could have done it," Kou says, "with shunshin. Yugao could have held off Kakashi-taichou."

Yugao flushes in pride. "Yeah! The kenjutsu fight we had was pretty good."

"Good ideas," Kakashi says with another eye-smile. "I have to say, you all displayed better teamwork than I'd expected. After all, it was your first try and I didn't give any planning time. I wanted to see what your natural team dynamics were like. It seems that you all have a good intuitive sense of how to support each other. The more we work together, the smoother things will be. Next time, we'll train against another team and we'll see how all four of us function together. We should be getting a mission soon as well. Any questions?"

When there are none, they clear the field of flags and carrots together. The latter are undamaged, so Kakashi divides them up between the four of them. "Here. Fibre is good for you. I promise they're not poisoned this time."

That gets some eye-rolls. Rin giggles at Mitsuo's suspicious squint, but Yugao is beaming again. There are no hard feelings here, to Sakumo's relief.

The team soon leaves to train on their own. Kakashi closes his eye for a brief second, the smile on his face slipping. His ninken leap for him immediately, wagging their tails fiercely as he tries to hug them all. "They're a good bunch," Pakkun comments from his usual perch on Bull's head. Kakashi gives him a scratch behind the ears, then Bull too.

"You're a good bunch too," Kakashi says with an eye-smile. "Thanks for the help today."

"You are most welcome, boss," the pug says with a nudge against the young shinobi's chin.

As Kakashi holds his ninken, he turns his face to the sky, eye crinkling faintly as the sun warms his face. "That wasn't too bad, was it? Sensei, senpai..."

* * *

"Hound-san."

Kakashi jerks upright in his bed, a kunai replacing the book in his hand as he whirls towards the voice. A spiky haired ANBU is crouched on the sill, framed by the open window, the perfectly round eye-holes of his masked face turned towards Kakashi. Sakumo observes the markings on his mask carefully, noting the three red curves above each eye.

"You are to report to Danzou-sama immediately."

Kakashi lets his grip on his kunai relax and drops his hand to his side. "Understood," he replies warily, his gaze flickering towards the sky. The setting sun has already sunken below the treeline. "Is it a mission?"

The ROOT agent's unnervingly empty stare does not waver. "No. Report as usual."

And with that, he's gone. Kakashi shuts the windows with a grunt of frustration, his eye narrowing as the glass panels rattle.

"Suspicious," Rin says as she frowns after the ROOT agent, voicing their unspoken thoughts.

* * *

"The Council of Clans is holding a meeting tonight," Danzou announces when Kakashi reports to his office. He hands Kakashi the agenda with a nod before turning back to the scrolls laid out on his desk. "Now, actually. You should attend— it'll do the Hatake name good."

Kakashi's gaze flits over the page, the subtle tightening of his grip hinting at his sudden anxiety. A quick glance over the page confirms Sakumo's suspicions. Because of the Kyuubi attack, the original budget that Minato drew up has been rendered largely useless. Despite the good recovery that they are making from the Third Shinobi World War and the sizable emergency funds that have been set aside, their reserves will be severely overdrawn if some adjustments are not made in light of the Kyuubi's destruction.

This is possibly the worst kind of meeting for someone of Kakashi's experience— or lack thereof. Prodigious as he is, Kakashi has yet to hone the same killer instinct on the battlefield of politics. A technical matter like this is not easy to handle even for experienced clan heads. Until Kakashi can stand his own against all the others who are pushing for their own agendas, Kakashi will be forced to rely on Danzou. It's another tactic, Sakumo muses darkly, to make Kakashi the elder's puppet.

The silver-haired youth straightens, sets his shoulders and his jaw, and musters up a courage that makes Sakumo proud. "It wouldn't do the Hatake clan any good if I show up as unprepared as I am."

The brush in Danzou's hand stills. The elder raises his head to peer at Kakashi, his gaze piercing. Then, as if he'd divined something from Kakashi's unnatural stillness, he shakes his head and returns to his work.

Kakashi's brow creases in uncertainty.

"Nonsense," the elder says, his tone so light as to be dismissive. "We won't be expecting speeches of groundbreaking insight from you. In fact, it would be wise to listen, since you are young and inexperienced. If you are lost, you need only look to me for a cue." He smiles.

"But..."

"You asked me to mentor you, did you not? This will be a good opportunity. I cannot help you if you do not put in effort yourself."

Kakashi's eye widens as if he had been slapped in the face.

Danzou raises an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Unable to decline without giving Danzou an excuse to write off his end of the deal entirely, Kakashi nods. "Yes, Danzou-sama."

"Good. Let's go, then. We're already late." The elder gathers his notes and sweeps out of the room, leaving Kakashi to hurry a step behind him.

The guards at the meeting room open the doors for them, bowing them into the space traditionally reserved for meetings such as these. The low chatter falters at the sight of them, more than ten pairs of eyes immediately fixing upon Kakashi. The young Hatake cannot help but twitch under the weight of their shrewd stares. With his youth and tarnished clan name, he is suddenly and very obviously out of place. The years he had spent isolated after Sakumo's death have marked him as an outsider amongst the people who should have been his peers, had Sakumo been able to hand over clan leadership properly.

Inuzuka Kamu's lip curls in disgust and Sakumo realises that the old wounds between them have not scarred as cleanly as he had hoped.

"Good evening," Danzou says, strolling into the room to take his place near the head of the table as if nothing strange has occurred. "I've asked Hatake-san to join us today."

Kakashi stiffens even further, as if he is trying to physically prevent himself from turning tail and hurtling out of the room. "Good evening."

"Ah, this is unexpected, isn't it?" Chouza chuckles, breaking the silence that had Sakumo's heartbeat pounding in his head. "Hatake-san, please take your seat."

Frowning in surprise, Kakashi instinctively reacts with a bow before realising that perhaps this might not be the right response. He ends up jerking awkwardly in place, instead. At the other side of the table, Fugaku's eyes narrow a fraction and Inoichi hides a wince of sympathy. Chouza might be chairing the meeting but he is not Kakashi's superior; they are all equals here. Danzou pretends to not notice, his attention seemingly on his documents, and Kakashi is left on his own.

It is Shikaku who breaks the awkward silence. He beckons Kakashi with a hand, dusting off the Hatake seat beside him with a flick of his hand. "I don't bite," Shikaku jokes. "Promise. It's just my face that's fierce."

Kakashi attention zeroes onto Shikaku as if he's the only solid ground in these strange new seas that Kakashi has been thrown into. He strides jerkily towards the Nara and sinks into the Hatake seat, back straight and smile fixed. "You look just fine, Nara-san," Kakashi blurts out saying, his face pink above the edge of his mask.

The smile that spreads across Shikaku's face is a wry, crooked thing that softens the violence written in his scars. "Ha, thanks."

Sakumo heart swells with gratitude. There's a reason why the Nara clan is well-liked. Despite their formidable abilities, they are gentle like the deer they care for.

"Danzou," Rin mutters, glaring daggers at the elder who had essentially set Kakashi up for humiliation. At the corner of the meeting room, Kara notices her moment of belligerence and hides a smile behind his hand. Sakumo spares him a short wave and the other ghost nods back.

Seated in the old oak chair that is as old as Konoha itself, Kakashi looks so very small compared to Shikaku on his right and Hiashi on his left. Sakumo takes a moment to indulge in the nostalgia of seeing the Hatake crest where it has been inlaid into the chair's back, the glimmering mother-of-pearl the same shade as Kakashi's hair. This is Kakashi's birthright; his rightful place as heir. An aching pride fills Sakumo's chest at the sight of his son at the very table where the founding treaties of Konoha were signed, generations ago.

"Akimichi-san," Kamu says loudly, his arms crossed before his chest, "I was under the impression that the Hatake seat is no longer in existence."

* * *

 **A/N:** dun dun dun! ;) Also, you might not have noticed but I changed one of my OC ghost's name to Kara. He's the friend of Kagami and Hyaku that I introduced in Ch23. I just realised that his name means something I didn't mean to imply. So embarrassing ahaha. He appears only rarely and doesn't have plot significance so don't worry about it. No relation to Boruto either, I'm just bad at naming characters XD

In other news, come find me on tumblr! My original content is generally AoMei or Kiri stuff, but I also reblog a lot of general Naruto content. Feel free to drop me an ask or message anytime!

Thank you, again, for staying with me on this fic :')


	84. Chapter 84

**A/N:** Quick update because I'd already written this out ;)

* * *

Kakashi gloved hands close tightly around the edges of his chair. The tension in the room rackets up so high that Shibi's kikaichuu are faintly vibrating in his clothes. Fugaku looks ready to use his Sharingan to record the impending fallout, and Hiashi's usually blank eyes are bright with interest. It is, however, Chouza who replies Kamu cautiously. "The Hatakes are a founding clan, Inuzuka-san. These rights are not so easily abrogated."

"Hatake Sakumo was a traitor," Kamu declares, every enunciated syllable making Sakumo cringe. "A clan with such fickle loyalties to Konoha should not have a say in its decisions." The old clan head's greying mane of hair falls into his grimacing face as he leans forward to fix a menacing stare on Kakashi. "A clan head speaks on behalf of his clan. For one to purposely turn his back on Konoha during a mission is tantamount to treason by the entire clan. The previous iteration of the Council voted on a resolution to remove the Hatake seat from the Council of Clans. The only reason why it was not formally passed was because of the chaos following that man's suicide. But the resolution was valid! The Hatake seat no longer exists!"

Sakumo's stomach sinks. He won't lie; Kamu is technically correct. The loss of the Hatake seat was one of the factors that had weighed upon him the day he made that fateful decision. The previous generation of clan heads had been far more aligned with Danzou and his hawkish stance than the clan heads seated with Kakashi today. Even if the village could not forgive him, he had hoped that they would not make Kakashi suffer for his choices.

"Then why was the resolution not formalised so many years after my father's death?" Kakashi replies quietly, his trembling hands balled into fists beneath the table. His single grey eye is hard. "He has already given his life in atonement for the wrongs you deemed him to have committed. Execution is far in excess of the maximum penalty for failing a mission."

"Not for treason," Kamu retorts firmly. "Not for turning his back on Konoha."

"He had no treasonous intent," Kakashi says, his voice equally tightly controlled. "He did it to save his comrades."

If Sakumo had any doubts as to whether Kakashi understands his reasons for abandoning the mission as he did, they are all laid to rest now. In the ensuing silence in the room, a telltale ache begins to grow in the older Hatake's eyes. He lowers his head, taking a moment to compose himself and Rin's hand curls warmly around his. Grateful, he squeezes her hand back.

Despite Danzou having deliberately thrown Kakashi into deep waters in an attempt to discredit him in the eyes of the other clan heads, Kakashi is showing great maturity in the face of such a distressing topic. The other clan heads will not miss it.

"If that resolution was based on the false accusation that my father was a traitor," Kakashi declares, his back straight and his expression fierce, "then it should not have been passed."

The room is immediately at odds. On one side there are the younger clan heads who had stepped up after Sakumo's passing: the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Uchiha and Aburame clans. On the other side, however, are the older clan heads who were the very ones who passed that resolution to remove the Hatake seat: the Shimura, Inuzuka, and Hyuuga clans.

The other clans are absent. The Senju clan had been governed by Tsunade's father before he passed, but Tsunade never claimed the seat. The Uzumaki seat is only an honorary position, left unfilled after Kushina's passing, and the Sarutobi clan abstains from voting due to Hiruzen's position as Hokage.

Danzou finally speaks up, seizing the opportunity to play the voice of reason. "If you remember, Inuzuka-san, we were pressed by war during that time." Kamu looks to Danzou suspiciously as the latter steeples his fingers. "Hard decisions had to be made rapidly and without hesitation. We were concerned that the Hatake clan had been... compromised. But now circumstances are very much different, yes? Young Hatake-san here has shown himself to be an exceptional shinobi."

Sinking into his chair, Kamu glowers at Danzou's betrayal. "Shimura-san, such resolutions cannot be simply altered by change in circumstance."

"Then we should carry out another vote," Danzou declares without so much as a blink. "Since so many clans have passed on the mantle to the younger generation, it is only right to let the current Council have a say."

Kamu is red in the face, but Chouza takes control of the meeting once more. "Good call, Shimura-san. Such an onerous resolution should not be passed lightly. In fact, the laws require no less than unanimity for a clan's seat to be removed. Shall we vote now?" When no-one protests, Chouza starts the process. "Those voting in favour of the removal of the Hatake seat, please raise your hands."

Only Kamu raises his hand. The man scoffs angrily and glares at Danzou, and then Hiashi, both who ignore him.

"Those voting against the removal of the Hatake seat, please raise your hands."

 _"Danzou, Chouza, Shikaku, Inoichi, Shibi, Hiashi, and Fugaku,"_ Sakumo counts. He is grateful but not surprised that no-one has abstained from voting. When Danzou suggested the vote, it was already clear that it would be impossible to achieve the unanimous vote required to remove the Hatake seat. Rather than to offend Kakashi, who is backed by Shimura and clearly has the sympathy of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, the rest of the clan heads threw in their lot with the majority.

"Thank you," Chouza says, smiling slightly. "Hatake-san, welcome to the Council."

Kakashi inclines his head in thanks. "Thank you all for your support." Now that the adrenaline rush from protecting his father's honour is fading, Kakashi sinks into his chair and pulls his mask up higher over his nose. When Danzou nods at him, Kakashi even manages a small eye-smile back. The brief exchange gives Sakumo a small pinch of annoyance. Danzou had played his hand well— throwing Kakashi into the deep end before swooping in as his most powerful ally.

"Let's move onto our agenda for the day, then. Nara-san?"

"Ah, yes."

As Shikaku stands to take the podium, Sakumo wonders at how much the Council has changed. The last time he had shown his face at the Council, the clan heads had been a group of war-worn, wary old men. They jumped at the spectres of conflict and watched each other from the corners of their eyes. It had been in that climate of unease that the previous Council had seen the opportunity to cast the Hatakes from their circle.

The younger generation seems more open, less strident, and more willing to reason. Perhaps it is because of the camaraderie formed during the Third War, Kakashi's ambiguous reputation, or even the Fourth's lingering influence that they are not rejecting Kakashi outright, but regardless, Sakumo is glad.

However, Kakashi is in a no less awkward or dangerous position. As the ninth clan head in attendance, he is the one whom one side or the other will blame for tie-breaking controversial resolutions.

 _"Open your eyes wide, Kakashi._ _Don't let this pack of wolves eat you."_

* * *

As the meeting progresses, Kakashi sinks further and further into his chair, his presence often fading from the collective consciousness of the room as Danzou clashes with the Ino-Shika-Chou on seemingly every other issue.

The more they lock horns, the more impressed Sakumo is by the new Ino-Shika-Chou. The older generation had been very much aligned with Danzou, along with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga, leaving the Hatakes and Aburames in the minority camp. Only Sarutobi's pacifist leanings had managed to provide some kind of balance. But it is clear that the new generation is nothing like the old. The same Will of Fire may have been passed down through the generations, but its flaring light shines in a different direction.

"Strength does not depend solely on our military might," Shikaku says, his demeanour every bit the Jounin Commander he is to about to become. "Our civilian population has been halved since the beginning of the Third War. The civilians who had flocked to us during the Founding have realised by now that staying in a shinobi village doesn't mean safety, but quite the opposite. While they may have acquiescenced to being treated as as second-class citizens in the past in return for protection, we cannot continue to do so while expecting them to show the same kind of loyalty as the shinobi population."

"We are a shinobi village!" Danzou retorts with a severe frown. "A shinobi village that loses its military supremacy will be a weak target for the other villages. Do you think Iwa will respect the armistice if they realise that we're spending money and time pandering to the civilians instead of raising the next Yellow Flash?" Kakashi twitches at the mention of his sensei and Rin pats his hair in a small gesture of comfort. "We should first rebuild our strength."

"Our forces are overworked, however" Shibi speaks up unexpectedly, his dark glasses flashing as he turns to Danzou. "Why? They've been picking up work left by the shortfall of civilians. It is not sustainable."

"Everyone, a moment please," Chouza says, raising his hands for attention before Danzou can retort. "Thank you. Perhaps we can address a less contentious, but no less pressing, issue first. A lot of civilians have been approaching us about the Konoha Orphanage. They feel unfairly treated because the orphanage is officially only open to children with at least one shinobi parent.

"There are two issues at hand. Firstly, whether civilian orphans should be accepted, and secondly, how much the budget for the orphanage should be increased if civilian orphans are accepted. Please keep in mind that the two are inextricably linked. If everyone can take a moment to consider the brief regarding the orphanage, we will take a vote regarding the first issue in ten minutes."

There's a shuffling of papers as everyone tries to find the correct handout. Noticing Kakashi's glances about, Shikaku slides his own handout towards Kakashi with a brief smile. "Here."

Kakashi nods. "Thank you."

Shikaku had highlighted several statistics in with a red market, including one which indicated a severe shortfall in funds. Kakashi's brow pinches as he reads rapidly, keeping his head down so he can avoid any signal that Danzou might try to give him.

Remembering how packed the orphanage was the last time Kakashi had visited Naruto, Sakumo can understand the opposing side's concerns. Resources are always limited. There would be less for shinobi children if they allow civilian children to be accepted in the orphanage. What is usually done is to send them off to other villages, where they would work in return for shelter and food.

But to Sakumo, they are all Konoha's children, civilian or otherwise. Civilians may not have died in the course of protecting the village, but they have contributed to Konoha all the same. Ensuring that their children too are well taken care of is an extension of the Shodaime's vision to see the next generation happy.

The young Hatake is sweating now that he has realised the catch-22 he is in. The wise thing to do would be to abstain from taking any sides, especially when the lines are drawn as clearly as they are, but that would affect his ability to sway Danzou regarding ROOT matters. Yet, if he supports Danzou... It would be just as dangerous to make enemies of the Ino-Shika-Chou alliance, and the Aburames besides.

Sakumo watches with no small amount of trepidation as the vote is taken; and breathes a sigh of relief when the results become clear. Those who have chosen to maintain the status quo are the Shimura, Hyuuga, and Uchiha clans, while those who have chosen to extend the orphanage to civilians are the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hatake clans.

Danzou won't be happy, but at least it wasn't a stalemate that was broken by Kakashi. Rather, it is Inuzuka Kamu's shift from his usual voting patterns that stands out.

"Oh?" Rin laughs as Danzou's and Kamu's narrowed eyes meet briefly, yet intensely, across the table. "Did Inuzuka-san just betray Danzou?"

Sakumo chuckles, scratching his chin. "It seems so. Once he has a bone to pick, he doesn't let go. Hopefully, he'll distract Danzou from Kakashi for a while." For that, perhaps Sakumo can forgive Kamu for putting Kakashi on the spot earlier.

Shaking her head, Rin purses her lips. "Such drama."

Chouza clears his throat. "And now regarding the orphanage's funds..."

* * *

 **A/N:** More Ino-Shika-Chou to come! :) We don't see nearly enough of the older generation in canon.


	85. Chapter 85

**A/N:** Update, yay! My workload for the semester is ramping up so things are going a bit sluggishly.

Uh, warning for mention of Danzou/people? XD I don't know how to be funny.

* * *

Shikaku turns to Kakashi once the meeting concludes, a faint smile on his face. "Glad that's over, huh? Troublesome meetings. Sometimes I can hardly believe we manage to come to half the decisions we do."

Kakashi brushes his hair back with short exhale. "I just hope that I'll be able to contribute more next time, Nara-san."

"Please, the formalities are over," Shikaku groans, pushing back his chair and gathering his notes under an arm. Kakashi follows him to the door, and the older man leans against the frame with a sigh. He jerks his head at his teammates, who are still speaking with the other clan heads. "Want to join us for a drink? Actually, no. Tea and snacks. You're still thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Fourteen," Kakashi huffs, and Shikaku's dark brown eyes glitter with amusement. "Would that be alright? I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"Of course not. We'll be going to Inoichi's place since he has to take over from the babysitter. Ah, speaking of the devil."

Kakashi turns to see Inoichi and Fugaku behind him, the blonde interrogator rolling his eyes. "And which one of us were you speaking of? Fugaku, or myself? And hello, Kakashi-san."

Fugaku greets Shikaku with a brief nod and fixes Kakashi with an unreadable gaze. "We meet again, Kakashi-san."

"Inoichi-san, Fugaku-san," Kakashi says politely, making eye contact with the Uchiha without a flinch. The last time they had spoken, Kakashi had stood before him awaiting judgment for the new Sharingan in his head. "Thank you both for supporting my claim to my clan's seat."

"It is only right," Fugaku replies solemnly, to which Inoichi nods in agreement.

"We were all surprised, but you should have always been here. It was good of Danzou-sama to introduce you."

"Yes," Kakashi says, pausing in a stilted manner before continuing. "He has been very supportive." Fugaku's eyebrows twitch upwards but Kakashi does not elaborate.

"I'd invited Kakashi-san over for the after-party," Shikaku says, turning away Fugaku's curious gaze. "Fugaku, you're invited too if you're free."

The lines bracketing the older man's mouth deepen. "Thank you, but I'm afraid this isn't a good time. Mikoto..."

Confusion creases Kakashi's brow but Shikaku makes a sympathetic sound. "Of course. You should be there for her."

Fugaku inclines his head. "Perhaps next time. I shall take my leave, then. Goodnight."

They echo back "goodnight" and head off into the hallway to wait for Chouza, so as to not block the other people filtering out of the room. Somewhere in the room, Chouza lets out a booming laugh and Shibi's low voice replies. Hiashi passes them with a polite goodnight, Kamu leaves with his face shadowed with discontent, and Danzou—

"Kakashi," he says distractedly, "let's go." Sakumo frowns at how it almost seems like an order, and so does Shikaku.

Inoichi hides his displeasure behind a smile, but his blue-green eyes are like mirrors of ice. "We've invited Kakashi to join us for some tea. It has been so very difficult to get a hold of him recently." Kakashi and his ghostly companions are all startled to realise that Kakashi has become the subject of the T&I Head's interest, but Danzou does not react.

"Is that so?" Danzou replies impassively. "The Kyuubi has certainly created much work for all of us. Well, have a good night. We'll talk tomorrow, Kakashi."

"Yes, goodnight."

The moment Danzou is out of sight, Kakashi peers up at Inoichi. "You've been looking for me?"

"Oh, well. The usual." Inoichi makes some broad, meaningless gestures which explain nothing. When Chouza and Shibi finally emerge from the conference room, he seizes the distraction. "Let's go, Kakashi-san!" he declares cheerfully, herding Kakashi down the hall with a hand on his shoulder. "Have I told you about my baby daughter?"

"I... don't think so...?"

* * *

"It's such a stroke of luck that Kushina managed to convince everyone to have children in the same year. Really, what are the chances of that?" Inochi exclaims as he tucks a soft blanket around Ino, who is fast asleep in her cot. His eyes are soft as he gives the baby a kiss on the forehead and closes the nursery room's door, leaving a small gap so he can hear her if she wakes. The adults settle on the couches in the adjacent living room, the promised tea and snacks laid out on the table between them.

"Well," Shikaku says, scratching his goatee, "I wouldn't say it's just luck. Kushina was good friends with Mikoto, so that's one down... We had already planned our children, so only the Inuzuka, Hyuuga, and Aburame were left..."

"That would have been challenging enough."

Chouza takes a bite a sugar cookie and offers the rest of the platter to Kakashi, who tentatively accepts one as well. "They have a ladies club. I'm sure they talk about these things."

"Yoshino told me it was a baking club."

"Do you really think that all they're talking about is baking?" Inoichi laughs and Shikaku shrugs helplessly. The cookie disappears behind Kakashi's mask while they are distracted, and Rin giggles.

"I do hope that Sasuke-chan won't feel left out though. Most of his peers will be clan heirs, but that honour would go to Itachi-kun."

"Maybe he'll get long with Kiba. Tsume is going to take over as clan head soon."

"Have you seen an Uchiha talk to an Inuzuka for more than five seconds before? They fight like cats and dogs."

"True..."

Inoichi sips at his tea. "Maybe he would get along with a Shimura baby. Isn't your twice or thrice removed cousin a high ranking Shimura, Shikaku?"

The Nara snorts. "He's not going to listen to Danzou dictate baby policy. He has three sons already, and they are quite a handful. Besides, the Uchiha are pretty stiff towards Danzou nowadays." Shikaku shook his head. "Can't blame them, though. No-one likes it when they're constantly being compared to another, much less a legend like Kagami."

"I imagine Kagami would be upset to see how their clans' relationship are nowadays. Maybe things would have been better if Kagami's line had taken power instead of Madara's, but they weren't inclined towards politics..."

"And they died off too quickly," Akimichi sighs. "The only one left is that boy Uchiha Shisui. And he's only eight or nine."

"He fought in the war," Kakashi says, ears perked at the mention of a familiar name. "Shunshin no Shisui."

"A mouthful of a name to be stuck with," Shikaku laments jokingly. "Can you imagine how much spittle that poor boy has to wipe from his face everytime his opponent calls him that?"

"At least he can shunshin away."

"True. If I were an Uchiha, though, I'd be Gokakyu no Shikaku. Nice ring to it, hm?"

Inoichi smiles wryly. "That's nowhere as good as Shunshin no Shisui. Anyway, it's not like you can summon a fireball that big."

"In this hypothetical situation, I would be an Uchiha, so of course I would be able to," Shikaku grumbles. "Anyway, Kakashi, if you want to get to the core of Shimura-Uchiha relations, you just have to know one thing: that old war hawk is grieving and he doesn't even know it. Danzou and Hiruzen have this weird dynamic, but that's nothing compared to what Danzou had with Kagami. After Kagami died, no other Uchiha was good enough for him."

Both Sakumo and Chouza choke a little at that, but Kakashi just seems confused. "Shikaku, please," Inoichi complains. "I did not need those images of them in my brain."

"They say Danzou was quite handsome—"

"No."

"Wait till you hear about the rumours about the three of us—"

"Enough of this nonsense," Chouza groans, reaching out to clap a hand over Shikaku's mouth only to have the other man duck away. "You invite poor Kakashi over and subject him to this?"

"Hmph." Shikaku turns to Kakashi and smiles. "Here's a word of advice for you. If you're hearing frivolous rumours about yourself, it means that you're doing a damn good job. People will always talk, so if they're talking about inconsequential things, they don't have any big complaints."

"Or maybe they're too scared to complain."

"True."

Kakashi is quiet. Chouza nudges him with his foot, smiling. "You're doing well, Kakashi. Don't think so hard. At least the civilians quite like you, what with your farming programme and all that."

The young Hatake smiles faintly at that. "There's that." The weight of _Friend Killer Kakashi_ lightens just a little.

"Chouza's right. If you want to see a real mess, just look at the Uchiha," Shikaku sighs. "I told Fugaku: 'Look, you have to find someone in your clan who can smile, just to soften up your image a bit. Hiashi has it easy because Hizashi smiles for him, and the Hyuuga ladies have this Beautiful Nurse programme going on, but what kind of public relations committee do the Uchiha have? _Nothing._ Just a terrifying doujutsu. For goodness sake, take Itachi-kun out for a picnic. Have family day for the Uchiha Police Force.'"

"I don't think _family day_ is going to do much," Inoichi says dryly. "Perhaps if Fugaku trips and falls into pudding, that'd lighten his image a little."

"People are scared of the Uchiha, aren't they?" Kakashi murmurs.

"Especially of the Uchiha Police," Shikaku says gravely.

"It was a double-edged sword from the beginning," Chouza adds. "Nidaime-sama founded it to acknowledge them, but anything that goes wrong also builds resentment against the clan."

"Every time anyone makes a mistake," Inoichi muses, "their collective reputation is in the gutter for months. That's why I make sure that T&I recruits from a wide pool of candidates. The last thing I want is to have T&I known as a Yamanaka clan thing."

"Maa, you're really toeing the line there. I'm quite sure that half of T&I are Yamanakas."

"But that's only half," Chouza points out. "The Uchiha Police Force is comprise entirely of Uchiha."

"Hmm. So, if the T&I ends up with some huge scandal, we'll just have get rid of you, right?" Shikaku chuckles darkly.

"That's the idea," Inoichi says dryly. "Then Ino can take over as clan head. Fresh start."

"We'll have to find somewhere to bury you first," Chouza laughs.

"Nah, my deer can eat you. Crunch up your bones and everything."

Kakashi shudders at their macabre humour but Inoichi just rolls his eyes. "But I do feel that the tensions with the Uchiha are becoming alarming."

"Hmm..." Shikaku slouches further into the couch. "With Atsuo dead, how many Uchiha ANBU do we even have? Three? Four? That's practically nothing for such a big clan."

"Mikoto is already poking around the records," Inoichi says. Noticing Kakashi's frown, he explains. "Atsuo is her brother. Maybe you've seen him around— he was codenamed Hawk."

Kakashi's eye widens and Sakumo feels his heart stop.

"Oh, you know him. I'm sorry."

"I met him once," Kakashi replies, his voice even as he maintains a mask of mild concern. It is technically true.

"Pity." Inoichi turns away. "Well, Mikoto doesn't believe the official explanation about him being a mission casualty. And she doesn't believe _me_ when I say the mission has been redacted."

"But you're Head of T&I," Kakashi probes, his voice remarkably calm. "Shouldn't you have access to these files?"

"Well," the Yamanaka says, tapping his fingers against the couch's arm. "How do I put this? When certain people are involved..."

"It's above his paygrade," Shikaku smirks. "He just doesn't want to admit it. But it's not like you're the _Hokage_ , Inoichi."

As the blonde glowers at his teammate, it probably takes all of Snake's training for Kakashi to keep his smile fixed on his face.

 _'He knows,'_ Sakumo thinks, feeling the back of his neck prickle. _'That's why he has been sniffing around. Above his paygrade or not, there's no way that he hasn't already put together everything.'_

The only question now is what he wants. To keep peace between the Uchiha and Kakashi? To keep peace between the Uchiha and the Hokage, or Danzou? Even as Sakumo puzzles over the interrogator's intentions, Inoichi lets loose the elephant in the room.

"Pardon me for my directness, Kakashi... but are you aware of ROOT?"

Kakashi freezes, pinned under those irisless turquoise eyes.


	86. Chapter 86

**A/N:** Oh boy, I had a tough time writing this convo. Hope it works out.

* * *

Between one blink and the next, Kakashi recovers from his surprise and gathers about him the facsimile of calm that Snake had trained into him. "Ah. Danzou-sama's ROOT. As far as I know, ROOT is an organisation sanctioned by the Sandaime."

 _"I'm not doing anything_ _illegal_ , _"_ Kakashi is implying. _"If you go against me; you go against the Sandaime."_ The sheer amount of nerve in that statement startles a chuckle out of Sakumo— perhaps Danzou is beginning to rub off on his son.

"I see... I imagine Danzou has introduced you to it's workings," Inoichi muses, sitting back. "The two of you seem to be close."

"ROOT reports to Danzou-sama and Danzou-sama reports to Hokage-sama," Kakashi shrugs, skirting around the question. "I know as much as you do."

Shikaku lets out a bark of laughter, having caught onto Kakashi's defensiveness. "Don't worry, Kakashi. Inoichi isn't going to drag you off to interrogate you."

Kakashi eye-smiles. "Of course not. I'm sure you already know a lot from the clan members you've contributed to ROOT."

 _"You're implicated in this too,"_ goes unspoken. Shikaku grimaces. The easy rapport they had reached earlier strains as they assess each other— neither side certain how much they can trust each other. They've never really had an opportunity to speak, after all. So much of what they know about each other is based on rumours, and no-one would know better than Kakashi that rumours are only half-truths upon half-truths.

"Well, we haven't been contributing members anymore," Shikaku finally says. "Our fathers did, but the recent war and disaster have depleted too many of our numbers."

"We don't hear back from the clan members that were sent either," Chouza adds, clearly perturbed. "The secrecy is troubling when it prevents us from looking after their welfare."

"Just be careful, Kakashi," Inoichi sighs. "I do apologise. I don't mean to accuse you of anything. We simply don't want you to disappear too." His smile is sad.

Kakashi looks away.

"Minato-sensei had every intention to disband ROOT," he says quietly, finally relenting on his prickly defence. "He would've been glad to know that you're protecting your own." He does not mention Snake, but Sakumo and Rin know that she is on his mind too. Those clanless and alone in this village are the ones whom Kakashi has set his heart on defending.

"Minato would have wanted to you to be safe too," Shikaku replies gently, knowing how fresh Kakashi's grief is. "You're not without friends here. If you need anything, we can help." _Don't go to Danzou, please._

Kakashi fiddles with his gloves, his gaze downcast. His hair seems to lose a little of its crackling static as he wavers, and gives in. "Thank you. I appreciate it. But there are some things that I am unable speak of."

"...unable?" Inoichi murmurs.

 _'Smart man,'_ Sakumo thinks approvingly.

"You must have encountered situations where there were more obstacles to getting someone to talk than their reticence." Kakashi smiles mirthlessly. "Danzou-sama is a not a careless man."

"Well, this is worse than we expected," Chouza comments, while Shikaku stares at Kakashi as if he can figure out the location of the seal that way.

"I have come across seals before," Inoichi says, "on both foreign nin and our own. Our team has a database of these seals, most of which we have been able to break, but there are some which remain a mystery. Ironically, those are mostly Konoha's own."

"Above your paygrade again?" Kakashi jokes wryly, making Inoichi's eyes widen. Shikaku snorts.

"Worse," the Yamanaka bemoans. "Those are most certainly ROOT seals and ROOT can't be investigated at all. Not through official channels, at least. The Intelligence Division investigates external threats to Konoha, not internal ones." Scrubbing at his face with a hand, the interrogator sighs. "If the Sandaime would actually read Danzou's requests before approving them, then I might actually have a chance of understanding those seals before Danzou forcefully steals the detainees away to who-knows-where again. There is a _reason_ why they end up in the detention cells. Why should it matter if it's an external or internal problem? A problem is a problem."

"Careful there," Shikaku says, smiling crookedly. "I'm sure the Sandaime reads those requests. He just approves them anyway."

"That's worse."

"And now you know the difficulties us mere mortals face. At least you have _some_ investigative powers."

The expression on Inoichi's face can only be described as a pout. "It's my job to keep an eye on things," he retorts. "How am I supposed to do it if Danzou has a secret army within an army within an army, and Hokage-sama doesn't want to hear anything that I have to say? The Yondaime, at least..."

It is dangerous, complaining about the Hokage like this, but the Sandaime already knows of Inoichi's misgivings. If the four of them have to agree on something tonight, it will be that they favour Minato's reign as Hokage. With this tentative understanding built on a common dislike for ROOT's secrecy and Danzou's methods, conversation begins to flow again.

"Perhaps Kakashi would be kind enough to let you see the seal?" Even though Kakashi refuses to confirm it, it is obvious by now that Kakashi is in ROOT.

Kakashi crosses his arms at being volunteered, but he does not refuse Shikaku's suggestion outright. "You do know that I rarely let people see my face, right?" he replies, only half-joking.

"Only if you're comfortable with it," Chouza assures him while kicking Shikaku in the shin. "I'm sure Inoichi can bear to stew in this mystery a little longer."

Scratching at the back of his head, Kakashi lifts his gaze to the ceiling. "Ah. I suppose I would not be opposed to removing the seal. It is strange having something on me that I have no control over. "

"Would Danzou not be unhappy with that?" Inoichi asks in concern. "Of course, this matter will be kept between us, but..."

Kakashi lets out a small "heh". "He would be," he admits. "But hopefully there will come a time when it doesn't matter if he's unhappy or not."

"Oh?" The Ino-Shika-Chou trio looks intrigued, and frankly Sakumo and Rin are equally keen for details, but Kakashi just shakes his head.

"Let's just focus on the seal for now," he says, drawing down his mask and ignoring their exaggerated "ooh"-ing. "I memorised the array that he used; that should give us a good start."

He sticks his tongue out and everyone leans in, serious again. "Ah," Inoichi says in a hushed tone, "I've seen that one before. Young kunoichi found sneaking into Konoha, injured and delirious. Tripped one of our sensors and we detained her. Danzou collected her within half-an-hour even though I kept things hush. I weeded out one of his informants after that incident." He sits back and thumbs his chin. "Neither of us are sealing experts, but if we can manage to block even part of the seal, I imagine that would already be useful."

"How big is the array?" Shikaku asks.

"An entire room."

"And you memorised the whole thing?"

Kakashi nods, and he lets out a low whistle. "Impressive."

"Can you spare a room, Inoichi?" Chouza asks, glancing about the house. "We will need the space. Some security seals around the room will not be amiss either."

"I can clear out a storage room no problem. I think the main issue will be getting a hold of you again, Kakashi," Inoichi points out, before smiling broadly. "How do you feel about seeing a licensed counselor, young shinobi?"

"Good idea," Rin chirps, but the young ANBU twitches unhappily, his excitement at securing their aid morphing into sullenness within a second. Sakumo smiles fondly. If this arrangement can convince Kakashi to speak to someone, and share part of his burdens, it will be a bonus.

"Fine," Kakashi groans, sounding like a teenager for once.

* * *

It is nearly two in the morning by the time Kakashi returns to the silent ROOT headquarters and sinks into his futon. The hallway is dimly lit by faint torches at the very end of the long, curved corridor, leaving most of it in the dark. Yet, Kakashi remains wide-eyed in his bed, unable to sleep.

Whether it is the excitement of the night, or anxiety regarding the future, Sakumo doesn't know. Kakashi will report to Danzou tomorrow, to report the counselling sessions that Inoichi has insisted upon and some other non-incriminating details about their conversation. It should not pose a big issue as long as Kakashi is careful.

The softest whisper of a shunshin marks the passing of another shinobi going about their business and Kakashi sits up, scowling at the doorless frame. It is quiet, but Kakashi is used to having his privacy. Even with his habitually absent roommate - the mokuton-user Kinoe - Sakumo can understand why it is difficult to sleep.

After another half-an-hour of tossing and turning, Kakashi kicks away his blankets with a soft huff and folds his bedding into the corner. Dressing himself in his armour again and wrapping a cloak around his shoulders, he flits out of the compound on swift footsteps. He ends up in the band of forest which surrounds the Shimura estate, his breath misting the cold air.

The unseen eyes of the patrolling ROOT guards follow him, but no-one approaches him as he finds a secluded area away from the estate and climbs into a tree. Settling himself in a bough, Kakashi tucks his cloak around himself and curls up with a sigh. The chirps of crickets are absent, the weather far too cold for their songs, but the soft sounds of rustling leaves remain.

In the embrace of nature, Kakashi dozes off much more easily.

* * *

Kakashi wakes up to Kinoe's face in the trunk of his tree, watching him.

"W-Whoa!" he shouts, nearly rocketing out of the tree before recognising his persistent stalker. The face disappears back into the wood and the boy pops out of the trunk below, looking sheepish. Sakumo and Rin, who have been waiting for this very moment, snort helplessly with laughter at Kakashi incredulous expression.

"Good morning, Kakashi," Kinoe says, bowing politely. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Kakashi presses a hand to his chest dramatically, his eye still wide. "What were you doing?!"

The small ROOT agent shuffles his feet, face red. "Watching you sleep," he admits in a near whisper.

"That's a bit creepy, Kinoe."

The boy hangs his head and a flicker of guilt passes over Kakashi's face when the boy repeats his apology.

"Don't do that again, I guess," Kakashi sighs, rubbing his face as he sits up. "I'm not angry, but, yeah. Don't do that again."

"I won't," Kinoe promises solemnly, looking relieved.

"Great." Kakashi cracks a yawn. "How did you find me anyway?"

Kinoe brightens. "I looked through the trees!" He places a hand on the trunk of Kakashi's tree and it sinks in, merging into wood up to his wrist. "I can travel and "see" through the trees like this. If I merge my whole body, I can go anywhere where there are trees."

Looking impressed, Kakashi hops down and looks at Kinoe's hand closely. "That's a very useful ability."

Kinoe nods firmly. "I traced the mokuton jutsu that was used near the Yondaime's house using this same technique," he explains, withdrawing his hand from the tree. "But... the roots travel too far. I can only travel for a few kilometers, for now, so I haven't found anything yet." At this admission, his shoulders slump slightly. "But maybe if I go outside of Konoha, I can cover more ground."

At the mention of Minato and their mysterious attacker, Kakashi had gotten an almost manic look in his eye. Still, he reigns himself in. "It's okay," he says, placing a supportive hand on the younger shinobi's shoulder. "You're doing well. You're using a special jutsu, and this is not an easy task."

Kinoe's energy returns, just like that. "That is what Danzou-sama says," he says, far too reverently for Sakumo's comfort. Kakashi also seems disturbed, but he does not say anything. "Danzou-sama wanted me to tell you about this mission. Is it because you're the Yondaime's student?"

Kakashi gaze lifts to the brightening sky. "Ah... yes. But he was more than just a sensei to me. He was a friend, who was there for me when no-one else was." His eye crinkles and Kinoe mirrors his smile, not quite understanding the undertone of grief in Kakashi's words but knowing that it is something important to Kakashi.

"I'll work hard on this mission, senpai."

Kakashi pats him on the shoulder again. "Thank you. Don't get lost in the trees, alright?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Awkward, fascinated Kinoe is awkward XD This chapter is brought to you by the power of milk tea powered insomnia *throws leaves like confetti*


	87. Chapter 87

**Warning:** implied loss of body parts and canon-typical violence.

* * *

The rain patters down, seeping into collars and plastering hair against ANBU masks. Uncomfortable and sodden, even Sakumo and Rin are chilled down to their ethereal bones. The five ANBU press on with their rescue mission nonetheless, heading towards the Western borderlands of Fire Country where their target is supposedly camped.

There is an extra man on the mission: Tiger. He is here to assess Kakashi's team, ensuring that they are up to par before approving them for futher missions. Coincidentally - or _not_ \- it is the same man who had played Danzou's messenger before. Sakumo had been surprised to recognise his mask, and so had been Kakashi.

At the head of their formation, the silver-haired ANBU's hand shoots out, fist clenched: _"stop"_.

Sakumo looks on ahead and spots what Kakashi had seen. It is a small bonfire, sputtering miserably under the protection of a discoloured tarp. Four miserable looking men are huddled around it, rubbing their chilled hands and eating soggy rations. Their shinobi-made armour displays no hint of their allegiances, but judging from their weapons and their dress, they are well trained mercenaries.

Kakashi's team settles down a distance away to observe, and Sakumo and Rin sneak into the camp itself to have a better look. "Eep!" Rin lets out a stifled cry when she stumbles upon what seems to be a decapitated head. A closer look confirms that it is not anything so macabre— the poor man has been buried neck deep in the ground courtesy of a Doton, but his head is thankfully still attached to his shoulders. "It's Tonbo!" Rin exclaims.

It is indeed the missing T&I nin whom they had been looking for, the one who had disappeared while on a mission. Yet, it seems that they may not be getting their chuunin rescuee back in one piece. There are bloodied bandages wrapped over his eyes, and as Sakumo reaches out, the burning of the captive's fever warms even his hand. Inoichi would be devastated to find his subordinate miamed, if the young man did not die from infection or exposure first.

The rain soaks dirt into watery mud, nearly obscuring the explosive tags that have been arranged around the chuunin. The water should have rendered the tags useless, but whoever set these up had taken care to waterproof them with a thin layer of wax. Sakumo grimaces as he examines the array. Anyone who tries to dig the chuunin out with a hasty Doton will find themselves losing a limb or two in the ensuing blast. The chuunin is bait— perhaps they hoped to capture another nin to torture and interrogate. Information goes for a high price on the black market; it is more than enough incentive for mercenary groups to come up with such machinations.

Rin crouches beside the trapped shinobi in an attempt to catch the sounds of his shallow, ragged breaths before they are drowned by the pattering rain. She soothes her hand across his damp forehead, using a little of her chakra to ease his fever.

When they head back to Kakashi and his team, the latter are already engaged in a silent argument filled with the rapid flutter of hands. _"Denied,"_ Tiger is signing. _"Hound is too valuable."_

Kakashi's hands clenches in a hard fist as he signs back _"no"_. He must have used his Sharingan to examine the exploding tags, because he quickly follows up with _"The trap is complicated. I will go."_

 _"Denied,"_ Tiger signs again, flicking his fingers out to show the palm of his gloved hand. The tension grows uncomfortable as Tiger and Hound stare at each other unblinkingly. Technically, Tiger is the superior authority here, but Kakashi is the captain of his team.

 _"I will do it,"_ Mitsuo volunteers. _"I know how to and I'm not valuable."_

Kakashi turns sharply to him but before he can say anything, Tiger signs " _approved_ ".

 _"OK,"_ Kakashi replies after a distinct, displeased pause. His fingers spit raindrops as they flick rapidly through the signs. _"We will speak later,"_ he tells Tiger, before asking _"all OK?"_ to the rest of the team.

When an unanimous affirmative comes back, Kakashi nods and gives the signal to proceed. _"GO."_

The team splits up to take up their positions around the perimeter, ready to close in on the camp once Kakashi gives the signal.

Sakumo can make a guess as to why Kakashi is unhappy. The talk of "value" had rubbed Sakumo the wrong way too. It is one thing to assign roles based on capability, and quite another to do so based on the "value" a shinobi, as if they are commodities on a market.

But at the same time, sometimes missions demanded that such calculations be made.

There are two objectives to their current mission: the rescue of one Tobitake Tonbo and the protection of T&I information. The latter was a euphemism. If one cannot protect the information, then the other options is to destroy the source of it. Just like Hawk, Tonbo would be eliminated for the sake of Konoha too. If rescue had not been explicitly stated as an objective, Sakumo doubts Tiger would be willing to risk ANBU agents to recover a mere chuunin.

The wail of Chidori snaps Sakumo out of his thoughts. Beside him, Rin tenses as blue light fills clearing, her face becoming pale as the screeching of electricity is joined by the sputter of burning flesh. "Don't look," Sakumo murmurs, reaching out to turn her by the shoulder. His brow knits in concern when he realises that she's shaking.

"Sorry," she whispers, eyes wide as she looks up at Sakumo. "I... I don't know why I'm like this. I was fine before."

 _'The forests are much too similar,'_ Sakumo thinks, but he doesn't knows better than to remind her of the fact. Instead, he pulls her into a hug and allows her to rest her head against his chest. "It's okay. It happens."

The Chidori splutters out and he looks up to find Kakashi and Tiger each fighting an enemy nin, while Yugao and Kou take on the remaining one. Mitsuo is carefully undoing the seals around Tonbo, each hand seal requiring the entirety of his concentration.

After a few tense moments, Sakumo glad to tell Rin that the poor T&I chuunin has been unearthed. "Great!" she exclaims shakily, already pulling away to help Tonbo, but Sakumo holds her back.

"Rest a while," he suggests gently, "at least until the fight is over and we're on our way back. They're doing fine."

She wavers, but caves. "Alright."

Unfortunately, that is when it all goes to hell. Just as Yugao pins down their opponent with a sword through the chest, a blur darts from the treeline and barrels into Kou. The newcomer knocks the ANBU down hard enough to leave him wheezing, and the gleam of steel is the only warning before he strikes, fast as a snake.

"Puma!" Mitsuo shouts from across the clearing, slapping his hands into a seal in a desperate attempt to reach Kou with his shadow jutsu, but—

Yugao screams, throwing herself between her stunned teammate and the blade, and intercepting the blow with a screech of metal against metal. Mitsuo's lines of shadows crash into the enemy nin a moment later, immobilising him as Yugao impales him through the stomach.

The Nara lets his shaking hands drop, his breath rasping with effort. "W-Whoa..."

"Lynx! Behind!" Kou croaks.

Distracted, Mitsuo turns in time only to catch a heavy blow to the chest. He's sent flying into a tree, cracking his head so hard on the trunk that he collapses immediately, like a doll with its strings cut.

 _"Oi, Lynx!"_

"Hang on!" Rin shouts even though they can't hear her, already darting towards the fallen ANBU. A quick spark of Raiton from the older Hatake causes Mitsuo's attacker to stumble, buying just enough time for Kou to leap in and shield Tonbo's slumped form.

Rin falls on her knees beside Mitsuo, cupping her hands to the back of his skull. There's an alarming streak of blood smeared on the tree. "Stay alive," she mutters as her hands glow green. "Mitsuo-san, I can only help you so much!"

Time seems to stretch as the rest of the team finishes off the remaining mercenaries and gather around Mitsuo and Tonbo. Kakashi joins Rin beside the fallen Nara, the scent of burnt flesh lingering on him making her gag and turn away, her hands clasped against her chest. Sakumo grasps her shoulder worriedly, steadying her.

With a deepening frown at Mitsuo, Kakashi begins to snap out their final orders. "Ocelot, check the perimeter. Do not engage if there are any enemies left. Puma, take Tonbo. Tiger, help me get Lynx on my back without moving his neck. We'll meet back in Konoha."

* * *

"I see," Hiruzen says neutrally when Kakashi finishes reporting the mission's details. "Let's hope that both Tobitake-san and Lynx will both pull through. I will expect a full written report as usual. Tiger?"

"I will submit my written report through the usual channels," the other man replies. Hiruzen nods.

"Very well. Kakashi, if you could stay for a bit."

Knowing a dismissal when he hears one, Tiger bows and leaves, closing the door softly behind him.

"Kakashi, I was surprised to hear that you attended the last clan meeting," Hiruzen says, tapping at his pipe idly as he looks at Kakashi curiously. Kakashi stares back expressionlessly, his hands clasped behind his back. Neither of them seems deterred by the fact that Kakashi is still covered in the filth of the mission.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen inclines his head. "That seat was always meant for you. I'm glad you're making use of it and I'm sure your father would have been proud."

The stony look in Kakashi's eye doesn't change. "Yes, sir."

"Is there something I should know?" Hiruzen verbally prods, but Kakashi remains unmoved. "I had not realised that you were familiar with Danzou."

 _'And there lies the problem,'_ Sakumo thinks, unimpressed. _'You good friend has been doing a great many things and you have not realised.'_

"We spoke," Kakashi replies. "I wanted the Hatake seat and Danzou-san has been helpful in that regard."

Understanding that Kakashi is not going to offer anymore information, Hirzuen sighs. "Very well. I know you will make good use of your vote, Kakashi."

The young Hatake bows. "Hokage-sama."

* * *

Despite Kakashi's well-known dislike for hospitals, he joins the rest of his team to wait for Mitsuo. Under the pale green light of the "in progress" sign over the operating room's entrance, the ANBU team keep their nerves under control by quietly writing out their reports. Tiger has gone who knows where, but Kakashi's remaining team members are loath to even leave to use the shower facilities a few floors down. Rin stands outside the operating room as well, her eyes on the closed doors as if debating whether she should go in.

"Come sit," Sakumo says, eyes crinkling sympathetically as he waves her over. "You've done all you can for him, Rin."

She gives him a wobbly smile. "I know."

They are not alone in that corridor. Tonbo is in one of the operating rooms further down, and there are members of the T&I perched on the edges of their chairs. Inoichi and Ibiki had both come by earlier, offering their gratitude to Kakashi's team as they did.

Thankfully, the head surgeon for Mitsuo emerges soon after their reports are completed, with a smile to her face. "The surgery was successful," she announces to the relief of Kakashi and his team. "If no further issues crop up, a few days of observation should be sufficient, followed by several weeks off duty. Please be mindful that he does have a concussion, broken ribs and fractured spine, though. He will need his rest."

"Thank you," Kakashi says, voice thick with emotion as he bows. "We will be relying on you." Kou and Yugao follow with murmurs of the same, the latter struggling to keep back tears as she did.

The med-nin returns the bow. "Please take care, ANBU-san."

* * *

 **A/N:** Have a good week, everyone! :)


	88. Chapter 88

The small library in the ROOT headquarters is cramped with honeycomb shelves stacked with scrolls, each hexagonal section holding at least twenty or more tightly wound reports, jutsu treatises, and other secret materials. A masked ROOT agent looks up as Kakashi passes by his aisle, the jutsu barrier overlaying the shelf rippling with blue light as the agent reaches through it to return a scroll.

A long, narrow bench is pushed against one of the empty walls, to serve as a table of sorts, and it is there that Kakashi finds Tiger. He is freshly showered and unmasked, the corners of his mouth tight with concentration as he guides his brush across paper.

Tiger holds up his free hand, his palm open and fingers spread. "Wait."

Kakashi helps himself to the spot beside him and plants his chin on his palm, blatantly studying Tiger as he waits. It is the first time that they have seen Tiger without his mask. Sakumo does not recognise him, but there is no missing the sharp Nara jaw, narrow eyes, or spiky hair.

Eventually, Tiger sighs and sets down his brush on the ink grindstone. "Yes Hound?"

The young ANBU smiles, but his voice if firm. "I appreciate your input during the mission, but please refrain from pronouncing on my teammates' value. They are all equally important to me, and I don't want them to doubt that. I assign tasks based on who I believe can best carry them out, not based on who is most expendable."

Tiger gives Kakashi a long, undecipherable look. "All of us are expendable; you and me. In ROOT you have no name. You have no feelings. You have no past. You have no future—"

"All that exists is the mission," Kakashi finishes for him. "But who is the mission supposed to benefit? Why were we saving Tonbo in the first place?"

Tiger is silent for a long time. "It was useless to save the chuunin. A waste of resources that Danzou-sama would have never made. And that is why Danzou-sama should be the leader of Konoha."

"...I don't think so."

Tiger looks sharply at Kakashi.

Kakashi corrects himself. "I don't think it was a useless mission. We are ROOT, aren't we? The strong roots that support Konoha. But Konoha isn't just a piece of land, just like how ROOT isn't just Danzou-sama's house. It's the people. Each person in Konoha— those are the people we are trying to protect. That is why we had to save Tonbo. And that is why I will not let my team become a means to an end. Each one of them is just as important as fulfilling the mission objective, because ultimately, they are my mission."

Tiger tilts his head. "Then, why did you kill Nohara Rin? Snake? Hawk? Were they not your teammates too?"

Sakumo and Rin both wince, but Kakashi does not seem too shaken. He must have asked the same question himself many times as well.

"...I wouldn't have let any of them come to harm if I could have prevented it. Rin's death was by suicide. She wanted to save Konoha, and she did. Snake-senpai's death was ordered by Danzou-sama, and Hawk's by the Hokage. Unless I allowed Konoha to be destroyed, or directly disobeyed my orders, I would not have been able prevent their deaths." His eye softened. "But you're right. Perhaps if I was better, if I was stronger in my convictions and had said "no", I would have been able to save them too."

Tiger frowns down at his report. "You are a strange one, Hound. You are a shinobi that many believe to be heartless and yet, you are full of sentiments. It is difficult to predict how you will act."

Kakashi shrugs, smiling. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You complicate things," Tiger replies flatly. "Without these sentiments, we are more efficient."

"But efficient at what? I think it's worth it to know that I am protecting the real Konoha."

"Orders are all we need to know."

"But we have to keep the big picture in mind. The ultimate mission should always be to protect the people," Kakashi says as he stands. "Without the people, Konoha is nothing. I'm sure you understand. The Shodaime founded the village in order to protect the children in it, so they would not have to fight and die in war." His gaze grows distant, but he shakes himself and turns back to the blank-faced Tiger. "You know... we are part of Konoha too. Each one of us ROOT members. If anything had happened to you on that mission, you would have been a priority too."

Tiger's eyes widened before he quickly turned away with a scowl. "Nothing had happened on that mission. We need not deal with hypotheticals."

Kakashi acknowledges that with a nod and takes his leave without a word. The ROOT agent is defensive and shaken, and it is not the time to push further.

* * *

"Why do you smell like deer?" Mitsuo asks in amusement as Kakashi steps into his bedroom.

The teen feigns surprise as he closes the door behind him, surreptitiously flicking some deer hair from his pants. "Really? You must have bashed your head harder than I thought if you're smelling deer randomly." Kakashi comes up to his bedside and squints at his teammate. "Quick, put these flowers under your nose."

A weak huff of laughter escapes Mitsuo as he accepts the cheerful bouquet of pink daisies. "Thanks. You didn't have to." Rin giggles as Mitsuo examines the slobbery bite that one of the roaming Nara deer had taken out of the flowers. The beloved clan animals had ganged up on Kakashi the moment he stepped on the Nara lands, nipping at him as they followed him all the way to Mitsuo's small house. The sight of Kakashi trying to get a herd of Nara deer to sit was certainly not something that Sakumo had ever expected to see.

Shrugging, Kakashi pulls up a chair from the desk opposite the bed and sits. "How are you feeling?"

The other ANBU shifts against the pillows propping him up. "It's been a whole week. I've recovered from worse."

Kakashi nods. "That's good to hear. We have missed you."

Mitsuo shifts awkwardly. "Kakashi-taichou—"

"I was harsh on you the first time we met," Kakashi interrupts. "I thought you were too cavalier, but I can see that that's not true, now."

The Nara's throat bobs. His turns to the window, his gaze flickering about before settling on the massive trees of Training Ground 44 in the distance. "No, you were right. I... I don't work with people well."

" _I_ don't work with people well," Kakashi says dryly, but Mitsuo doesn't smile. The young captain sighs. "I saw your transfer application."

The waxed brown paper of the bouquet crackles softly under Mitsuo's hand. "I'm sorry. It's not because of you or the team. I just..."

"Of course. I understand. But I hope you'll give the team another try."

Mitsuo whirls around, his expression of shock promptly crumpling into a pained wince as the aftereffects of his concussion bolt through his skull again. It is clear that he had expected Kakashi to say just the opposite, but Sakumo knows that Kakashi isn't someone to give up on his teammates so easily.

"Stay? Taichou, I can't. I _shouldn't_. I put all of you in danger because I panicked and let my guard down."

"You tried to protect your teammates—"

"When they didn't need protecting. Instead, I gave the enemy an opening and," he gestures abruptly at his bedding, "you all had to drag me back in this state." He takes a deep breath, looks his captain the eye, and exhales it in a rush. "My judgment is shot to hell. I can't trust myself anymore. I..." Sweat beads on his brow and his hands tremble as he works his jaw, bracing himself to spit out the words stuck in his throat. "I don't want any of you to end up dead because of me."

Kakashi touches his shoulder lightly. "Wait here," he murmurs. "I'll go get you some water." Before Mitsuo can protest at being treated like an invalid, Kakashi is gone in a burst of shunshin.

The man scowls down at the pink daisies in his lap, a hand coming up to cover his face as his shoulders trembled.

"He lost is team as well, didn't he?" Rin asks, looking up at Sakumo with large brown eyes.

"I think so," Sakumo replies with sympathy. "It is rare to see one of the trio alone." With all that had happened recently, it would not be unusual for his teammates to have died. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi are so closely knitted that are always in trios or pairs. A lone Nara - or Yamanaka, or Akimichi - often means the worst has happened.

"Perhaps that is why Shikaku put them together," Rin whispers.

Kakashi returns with a cup of warm water that he hands over to Mitsuo before slouching in his chair again. The Nara stares into the cup as if he hopes to drown himself in it.

"I made a mistake." He hunches into himself, his gaze haunted. "They trusted me."

"I'm sorry about your team," Kakashi murmurs.

Mitsuo nods jerkily. They sit in silence for a long time, keeping each other company amidst their own dark memories.

"I couldn't trust myself for a long time either, not after... you know about how my teammates died." Kakashi's gaze is on the floor, his left hand picking at the nails of his right. "Whenever I use Chidori, I'm afraid that the moment I blink, there will be someone else dying on my hand instead of who I aimed for. Whenever I use the Sharingan, I'm always throwing myself in front of other people because I can't, I _can't_ let anyone sacrifice themselves for me again. I don't think I can survive sending off another person again." Kakashi's eye creases in a smile as he looks up at Mitsuo. "It's difficult, isn't it? Torn between wanting to do something - _anything_ \- and the fear that once you act, you'd get it terribly wrong."

"Then how did you get over it?" Mitsuo demands in despair.

"I don't think I have. I'm still afraid, all the time. Sometimes I feel like I'm a stranger living inside my own skin. I have the same face, the same voice, and the same abilities, but everything else is different." Kakashi stops scratching at his hand and picks at the seam of his trousers instead, worrying at a loose thread. "But you can re-learn how to work with yourself again. Bit by bit." He looks up and gives an eye-smile. "It's a little easier, after a while."

Mitsuo gives a wet sounding chuckle. "That's... encouraging?"

"It's not, actually. But it's the truth."

They shared a brief, wry smile.

Sakumo is awfully proud of how Kakashi has been working with his team. These are hard conversations, and it is no easy feat for Kakashi to delve into his own trauma to help others overcome theirs. His stubborn, kind boy has really grown.

Sitting up, Kakashi purses his lips thoughtfully behind his mask. "I found it easier to do solo missions for a while. I didn't have anyone to back me up, so I didn't have to worry about their safety. How about this, Mitsuo. Just follow orders for a while. Try not to think so much. As the captain, it's my job to make sure that everyone gets utilised to the best of their potential. If you can't trust yourself to make decisions yet, I'll try my best to give orders in such a way that you can focus one part of the mission on your own and not worry about affecting the others. A mini-solo-mission, in a sense."

Mitsuo peers at him doubtfully.

"You did well with the exploding tag trap, didn't you?" Kakashi says matter-of-factly. "Maybe what you need is just a different way of working than you're used to. We'll figure something out, yes?" The hesitant nod that Mitsuo gives Kakashi brings out a bright smile from the teen. "Good."

"I'm sorry to be a burden," the Nara murmurs.

"You're not," Kakashi replies immediately. "Give yourself time. Don't feel like you have to prove yourself. Just hanging on, sometimes, is enough. If in the end you still feel that you would like to be transferred, or if you want to take a break, I won't say no. Alright?"

"...yeah."

"Alright." Kakashi looks at the bouquet on Mitsuo's lap. "So... do you have a vase or something? I'll help you put the flowers in."

"...nope?"

They look at each other helplessly for a moment.

"I'll go get a pot from the kitchen instead?"

"Good idea."

* * *

 **A/N:** To follow orders or not to follow orders, that is the question. Hehehe therapist Kakashi. Looks like he has been picking up some things from Inoichi huh? :P Canon Kakashi is really not all that good at counselling people but he really does try his best. In this AU, he is a bit better with his words.

Happy birthday Kakashi! :)


	89. Chapter 89

**Warning:** insects, torture. If you would like to skip the torture scene, you can read until "Naruto's teething troubles" and then skip to "For some reason".

* * *

Sakumo and Rin have already heard the bad news from a furious Hyaku— Yakushi Nonou will be leaving Konoha soon to spy on ROOT's behalf, courtesy of Danzou's threats against the orphanage. Their anger simmers hot on her behalf, but Nonou refuses to reveal the details of Danzou's visit to Kakashi, perhaps for fear of the young ANBU acting out. "I'm sorry I have to ask more of you, but please, keep an eye out for Kabuto. He's a smart boy, and I'm afraid to imagine what might happen if he is left alone in ROOT."

Kakashi accepts Nonou's request readily. "I will."

The faint lines at the corner of her eyes smooth out slightly. She glances out of her office's window, a small sigh passing her chapped lips as her gaze falls on the children playing outside. "Thank you," she breathes. It sounds like she is making a death wish, and Kakashi shifts uncomfortably under its weight.

"Here," Nonou murmurs, turning away from the window with a look of determination upon her face. She retrieves a thick brown folder from a locked drawer and hands it to Kakashi, who accepts with a questioning raise of his eyebrow. "These are all the notes that Snake and I have on fuinjutsu," she says, smiling. "I'm not sure how much of this you or your friends already know, but hopefully there will be something in there that helps."

Kakashi's grip tightens on the package as he inclines his head in thanks. "I will make good use of it."

"Please do. Feel free to burn it if you don't have a safe place to hide it." Her mouth twists. "I won't be needing it anymore." Before Kakashi can find his words, Nonou has shaken off her melacholy. "I suppose you'd like to visit Naruto-chan?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not."

Kakashi tucks the folder under his arm and they head off, their conversation segueing smoothly into towards Naruto's teething troubles.

* * *

"Get away them from me! You freak, you fucking freak!"

The Kiri-nin screams in disgust and terror as the living mass of driver ants crawl en masse over his body, quickly covering his bare, bound feet and surging into his flimsy prisoner's yukata. His shouting quickly turns into yells of pain when the ants start shredding his flesh with their powerful pincer jaws, each wound a bleeding flash of fire. He jerks desperately in his bonds, rolling from side to side in an attempt to crush the dark brown ants, but there are too many of them for his uncoordinated thrashing to have any effect.

Tatsuma watches impassively from the other side of the cell as the last of the driver ants march from beneath his cloak.

"Make them fucking stop!" the Kiri-nin sobs, squeezing his eyes closed and pinching his mouth shut as the ants swarm his face. Sakumo's stomach turns as the foreign nin's muffled screaming continues, his voice rising and breaking as the stench of blood thickens in the stale air.

"Watch closely," Tatsuma murmurs to Kabuto and Kakashi, who are there to be trained in ROOT interrogation tactics. Kakashi has hidden the two of them from the Kiri-nin via a genjutsu, but Tatsuma can still see them. "Wipe those looks off your faces," he snaps.

Kakashi manages to turn his horrified look into a tightly suppressed grimace, but Kabuto continues to look more ill by the second. Sakumo thanks Hyaku silently again for making sparring days with Rin a regular event. He has heard of the Aburame's flesh-eating insects, but he has never seen them for himself until now. To be honest, he doesn't think he can take much more of the sight.

The Kiri-nin seems to reach a breaking point as well— he suddenly starts bashing his head against the floor. With a wave of Tatsuma's hand, the driver ants stop making those wet mashing sounds, and a moment later, they're streaming off the whimpering shinobi. The man's clothes are soaked with blood, every inch of him raw and bleeding profusely. Turning his head, he shudders and dry heaves, the spindly corpses of a few dead ants trailing from his swollen lips as he spits weakly.

"Tell me about your new Yondaime," Tatsuma orders. "Karatachi Yagura. Is he very different from the Sandaime?"

Their captive's wide eyes flicker from the chittering swarm - just a foot away from him - to Tatsuma, terrified. Kabuto takes out his notebook in preparation to record his words, looking equally frightened.

"Y-Yagura is alright..." The prisoner swallows, mouth working. "He's... not fond of clans with kekkei genkai. The Academy exams were abolished though, that was— good, I guess. The lower caste is happy. W-What do you want to know? Kiri has no plans for Konoha! We're messed up as it is!"

Tatsuma steps closer and crouches down. The close-lipped smile that spreads over his face makes the poor man shrink back instinctively, trembling. "You're the type of shinobi that never gives up the first time round, aren't you? Commendable."

"No, no— I swear— Fuck, what do you want to know? The Swordsmen? They're dead? I don't know! Wait! Please!"

The ants swarm him again and he screams even louder this time.

By the third round, Sakumo decides that there's no point in watching anymore, in some misguided attempt to provide Kakashi support he can't recieve. _'Sorry Kakashi,'_ Sakumo thinks as he walks out of the cell. The man's screaming cuts off abruptly the moment he passes through the wall and its accompanying silencing seals, and Sakumo finds himself standing in the middle of a narrow hallway with the echo of that terrible sound in his bones, shaking.

The silence is deafening, like a physical pressure in his ear. It makes him think about the ants crawling into that man's ears and he shakes his head, clenching his jaw to stave of the sick feeling in his stomach.

For some reason, his mind turns not to Danzou or ROOT, but the prisons cells elsewhere, in the Intelligence Division. There are interrogations being carried out there too. But what difference is there if pain is meted out there, or here?

 _"It is my Hokage's command."_ Every shinobi has said it before, including Sakumo. But who is the kage to justify all this? If Danzou took the hat the next day, would they be bound to follow his orders?

It's easy to imagine Danzou as the mastermind of all evil, and that Konoha will be better off without him, but perhaps they are protecting a rotten thing. The shinobi system itself is the reason why the Kiri-nin is in that cell. They have made killing and maiming their skill and the more that they are being rewarded by it in money and respect, the more they are convinced that they are justified in doing it.

All of them are part of this great tree that is Konoha, and the leaves are no more innocent than the roots.

* * *

When Sakumo ventures down into the ROOT cells again, he follows the sparse trail of driver ants that lead into the depths of the earth. His heart sinks when he draws closer and hears muffled sobs, small and frightened.

"Shh," Kakashi says softly, hunched protectively over the younger boy, who has curled up in the hallway. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." Every now and then, the boy glances down the dimly lit hallway, as if afraid someone would burst in shouting at any moment. Neither of them had their backs to the cell where the Kiri-nin had been.

A whimper escapes Kabuto as he eyes the trail of ants. "I-Is he d-dead now?"

"Yeah," Kakashi murmurs, "he's gone."

The faint, sticky sounds coming from the cell bring disturbing images back to Sakumo's mind. Tatsuma is nowhere to be seen, only his kikaichuu, which are probably eating up the Kiri-nin's corpse.

Kabuto slumps. "N-Nonou-san..."

"She's back with your friends, don't worry. I saw her just last week." Kakashi rubs the shaking boy's back, murmuring reassurances.

In a remarkable display of will, Kabuto swallows down his tears and composes himself. His nose is blocked and his lip still trembles, but he is no longer sobbing. "I can't torture my friends like this."

Kakashi's brow knits.

As if the horrors of the day have struck him all over again, Nonou's protege lets out a gasping sob, his eyes wide and wet as he looks up at Kakashi. "I'm going to become a spy. I have to make friends with enemy-nin to get close to them. Then I have to, to... _interrogate_ them."

Sakumo can imagine how that would destroy anyone. Living amongst the enemy might lead you plots and machinations, but it might also lead you to understand the things that make them human and vulnerable. A wife. A child. A brother. A sister.

That is why there were so few spies who can go deep undercover for years— it isn't because of lack of skill or opportunity, but because living as one of the enemy shatters the pretty justifications that shinobi build up for themselves. The person on the other end of your blade isn't just a piece of meat with information that you can squeeze out like juice; the target is a person, and the enemy village is a home. Many would rather defect than to betray that realisation.

Kakashi was lucky to have infiltrated a target that kept him at a distance, as a servant rather than a friend and confidante. He was also lucky to have Snake with him, each of them acting as an anchor for the other's loyalties.

As Kabuto wipes at his tears, Kakashi pets his hair in slow, soothing strokes, like how he would comfort a puppy. "What Tatsuma did was extreme. There are gentler methods. When people are happy and careless, you'd be surprised at how much they let slip. You don't have to hurt them like that. Not always, at least."

"...I want to become a med-nin," Kabuto replies miserably. "Do you think Danzou-sama will allow me to become a med-nin? I-If I asked?"

"I don't know. But even he doesn't make you a med-nin, you can still make use of your skills. You learnt how to heal from Nonou-san, didn't you?" The boy gives a jerky nod and Kakashi eye-smiles sadly. "Then you can help the people you come by when you're undercover. A little kindness goes a long way."

Many shinobi think this way. For every drop of blood that they shed, they would try their best to balance the moral scales of their soul again by doing someone a kindness. But a question has always nagged at Sakumo.

Does it make one kinder, or does it give people leeway to be crueler, thinking that they can buy their own absolution later? He doesn't know.

* * *

 **A/N** : Oof long A/N this chapter. I did a poll a long time ago to find out whether you guys would like to give Naruto the ability to see ghosts. For those of you who wanted to see that, I'm really sorry. I've decided to cut that part out (along with some others) so I can streamline the plot, make it more fast-paced, and _perhaps_ actually finish this 100k+ chonker of a fic XD Sorry guys.

* * *

That question Sakumo had is about compensatory moral behaviour, i.e. where the doing one moral act seems to excuse ("license") the doing of an immoral one. For example, attempts to increase transparency in companies (e.g. declaration of conflicts of interest) is seen as moral behaviour and hence gives psychological license to people to engage in immoral behaviour, hence resulting in _more_ unethical behaviour, instead of less.

As an aside, fines can also can create unintended consequences, though in a different way than the above. Fines remove the ethical component from the decision-making process and causing people to weight advantages (e.g. cheaper costs) and disadvantages (e.g. fine for causing pollution) instead of thinking: "is it right?" Hence, instead of deterring people, people find it easier to break the rules ("I'll just pay for it!").

It's interesting when you think about moral compensation in Naruto-verse. For every good deed that Kabuto does according to Kakashi's advice, how much moral license does it give him to cause harm? Also, I imagine the flip side of this argument is the kind of moral compensation that makes Zabuza to adopt Haku. For all the evil that Zabuza has done by killing all his classmates, perhaps he is trying to compensate by adopting and raising Haku well.

Just some thoughts.


	90. Chapter 90

"Senpai!" Kinoe exclaims in a hushed shout, his usually blank eyes brightening when he catches sight of Kakashi. He lets go of the seal that his gloved hands had been tightly clasped in, and the curved spirals of wood surrounding him withered back into the forest floor like they had never been there.

"Yo," Kakashi says, waving lazily. "Kinoe."

The mokuton user tilts his head curiously when he notices Kabuto, who has hidden himself behind Kakashi. But the more Kinoe tries to make eye-contact, the more the boy lowers his head to hide his red-rimmed eyes.

Huffing in fond exasperation, Kakashi reaches behind him to pet Kabuto's hair. "Mind if Kabuto watches? He's new."

Kinoe accepts readily, even though his eyes follow Kakashi's hand with a bit too much intensity. Sakumo smiles. Missions have kept Kakashi busy these few weeks. With Kabuto assigned as Kakashi's charge, Kinoe has probably been getting less of Kakashi's attention than he has been hoping for. It is also why Kakashi has arranged for them to spar today, in the backyard of the Shimura estate.

Before they can get into position, however, a little ink rat shoots out of the undergrowth and bumps against Kakashi's ankle. The young mokuton user's face blanks further.

"Oh? What's this?" Kakashi exclaims, humouring their new arrivals with exaggerated surprise. The blobby little creature crawls into Kakashi's palm, its ink drop eyes blinking innocently. Kabuto shakes out of his misery to gape at it in fascination, his mouth hanging open in comical surprise. "Who could possibly have created this wonderful piece of art?" Kakashi asks himself. "Hm."

There is a stifled sound of delight, quickly muffled. A moment later, two boys emerge from behind one of the trees, both of them in the ROOT uniform. The dark-haired child smiles shyly at Kakashi, a scroll and brush clutched in his small, ink-stained hands. He bows, and so does the older silver-haired boy. "Sorry for interrupting, Kakashi-san, Kinoe-san," the older boy greets politely. His protective stance in front of the other boy is not lost on Sakumo.

"You're the ones who got senpai into trouble," Kinoe says, looking put out by their sudden appearance.

"It's okay, Kinoe," Kakashi says warmly, before the two kids can stutter out any apologies or run away. Beckoning the two of them to come forward, Kakashi gives them his best eye-smile. "Would you like to watch me and Kinoe spar as well?"

"Yes, please?" the younger boy bursts out saying, hardly seeming to believe his luck, and the older boy relaxes. It seems that Kakashi is a bit of a hero to them too, Sakumo observes in amusement.

"Great, go sit over there? Kabuto, you too."

With their audience all settled at the edge of the clearing, safely out of the way of any jutsus that may stray from their spar, Kakashi turns to Kinoe with a smile. A kunai spins into his hand, glinting in the dappled sunlight streaming through the forest. "Let's see what you've been working on, hm?"

Kinoe's frown disappears. "Yes!" With a clap, he fits his fingers together into the snake seal and sets his feet in a sturdy stance. "Mokuton!"

* * *

"What's your name?" Kabuto asks the silver-haired boy, finally working up the courage to give the other ROOT trainee a tentative smile. Kakashi and Kinoe have been sparring for a while, and the children have been getting fidgety. "I'm Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto."

The silver-haired boy looks surprised. "You have a name? Wow."

"Don't you have a name too?"

"No. We only get names when we pass the graduation exam and get our first mission. Or," the boy purses his lips thoughtfully, watching as Kinoe sends an armful of wooden spikes towards Kakashi, "if Danzou-sama really likes you. Like Kinoe. He's _super good_. No-one else knows how to use that wood jutsu, so he's Danzou-sama's favourite."

"What about that ink jutsu?"

The dark-haired boy answers without looking up from his painting— an urchin-like creature clearly inspired by Kinoe's wooden spikes. "It's special but not _super special._ " Despite his words, the dark haired boy doesn't seem to mind it at all. A contented look fills his face as he lays on his stomach and paints with careful brushstrokes.

"But if you don't have names, then how do you know who's who?"

"It doesn't matter who's who. Not until you're good enough a shinobi to be useful on a mission. Then you get a codename so mission commands don't get messed up."

Kabuto becomes quiet. His eyes are on the spar before him, but his mind is far away— probably on Nonou and his friends in the orphanage. "That's so sad... Nonou-san, our caretaker at the orphanage, gave me her name. Yakushi."

The other boy looks impressed. "You must be special to her then."

Kabuto's chin wobbles. "Yeah, I think so..."

The silver-haired boy shifts closer, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "I'll tell you a secret," he says softly. Kabuto's eyes widen questioningly as the boy cups his hand to his mouth and leans in. "The two of us don't have names, but we're brothers."

"You're related?"

"Nope," he answers, still smiling. "But we don't have to be. I'm his nii-san and he's my otouto. That's all we need to know." The boy seems content to leave it at that, a soft smile on his face as he goes back to watching the spar. "Whether we pass the graduation exam or not, we'll always be brothers. That's even better than a name, isn't it?"

Kabuto bites the inside of his cheek, his gaze returning to the two older boys wrestling in the pile of woodchips. "I think so," he says finally. "If you have a name but no one to call you by it, that would be even more lonely, wouldn't it?"

"Exactly," the silver-haired boy chirps, casting a smile to his brother, who returns it. "So it's alright."

Across the clearing, Kakashi has finally pinned down Kinoe. "My win!" Kakashi chuckles, letting go and collapsing on the ground beside his opponent. He's chuckling, arms thrown out and face sweaty as he points out the wood chips in Kinoe's long mane of hair. Kabuto turns away and hugs his knees to himself, his face full of longing.

"Kabuto-san, you didn't need to pass the graduation exam, right?"

Startling from his thoughts, Kabuto shakes his head.

The silver-haired ROOT trainee sighs. "I should have known. The older nins won't tell us anything. But I know some people don't make it back."

Kabuto falters, not knowing what to say. "Danzou-sama sounds strict." The other boy nods solemnly.

"You just need to focus on working hard," Kinoe declares as he strides up to them. The adrenaline of a good spar has put a bounce in his step. "Danzou-sama won't let your talents go to waste if you show him that you're doing your best."

The small crease at Kakashi's forehead hints at his inner conflict, but faced with such enthusiasm, he can hardly say anything negative about the elder. Neither of the younger ROOT trainees look nearly as confident as Kinoe does, but they both nod in agreement.

Sakumo doesn't blame Kinoe for having such faith in Danzou. From what he'd heard, the elder had saved the boy from perishing in Orochimaru's clutches. When Kakashi had first arrived, that glimpse into Orochimaru's lab that they'd gotten was enough to give Sakumo nightmares. He cannot imagine the terrible things that Kinoe must have suffered there.

Despite Sakumo's hopes that Kakashi will be able to introduce Kinoe to the world beyond the austere, confined boundaries of ROOT, he cannot imagine the discovery of Danzou's true nature being anything less than crushing to Kinoe.

"Good spar," Kakashi says as he places a hand on Kinoe's shoulder. He pretends to lean on him, groaning as he clutches his side. "You punch hard for someone your size, Kinoe. You've improved."

The mokuton-user looks away, his face turning redder. "I still have a long way to go."

"It's a powerful jutsu that you have," Kakashi says as he lays down with a groan and pillows his head against a tree root. "The Shodaime would have been happy to see you protect Konoha with it."

"Yes, senpai."

Kakashi eye-smiles. "Don't just stand there, come sit."

They have a spare moment before they are to return to headquarters for the evening meal, so they spend it together, soaking up the warm weather that has invaded Konoha. There is a strange feeling of camaraderie, each one of them enjoying the quiet.

"Look," the dark-haired boy says, out of breath from controlling chakra imbued ink. The ink-urchin that he'd been working on pops out of the scroll and rolls over to Kinoe, stopping before his knee.

"Is it sharp?" Kinoe asks, eyeing the thing warily.

"Nope," the boy says, bright-eyed. "It's squishy. Touch it!"

Kinoe pokes at it tentatively, and the ink-urchin wobbles. The boy who had painted it giggles, glancing around nervously before giggling again. Kakashi chuckles too, also reaching to prod at it, and Kabuto adjusts his glasses to squint at it curiously.

"It's soft," the dark-haired boy repeats, quiet like he's afraid of being overheard. "It won't hurt you."

"You can't use something squishy like this on a mission, though," Kinoe says, clearly puzzled by the younger ROOT trainee's enthusiasm. He rolls his palm against the ink-urchin, testing its texture. "What would you use this for?"

The dark-haired boy becomes slightly nervous. "I don't know. Maybe sending messages? I can draw things with sharp teeth and claws, but I don't want anyone to get hurt." Clearly embarrassed, he kneels over his scroll and draws another rat. A fluffy one, with big, cartoonish ears.

The rat peels off the scroll and goes sniffing around, scrabbling onto Kakashi shoulder and making him yelp when it pokes its snout into his ear. "See?" the young artist says, beaming. "Now it can pass a message."

The older boy bring his hands up to the rat, petting it as he nods and pretends to listen to it. "Mm? What are you saying?" He cracks open an eye, his cheeky smile hidden behind his mask. "You're all good boys and deserve treats? Really?"

Kinoe looks more confused than anything, unused to this kind of play-pretend, but the younger boys are all enjoying it.

"Maa, maa, alright. I suppose I'll have to get you all treats."

* * *

 **A/N:** askdjfasdjf thanks for reading! It's not my best chapter unfortunately. I'll be busier next week so the next chapter might be delayed, sorry! We'll see how it goes.


	91. Chapter 91

**A/N:** Pardon the delay. Busy busy recently XD

* * *

The elder visits the Uchiha compound early in the morning on the same day of each month, but until now, Sakumo has not seen it with his own eyes. Curiousity has the two ghosts trailing after Danzou, wondering what could possibly motivate such an unsentimental man to make a trip like this.

It is early enough that the sun is barely risen, and the streets empty. The only ones to see his arrival in the compound are the Uchiha Police posted at the gates. They do not acknowledge each other; each turning their gaze away from the other as if in mutual distaste. It might not be too far from the truth, Sakumo thinks, which only deepens his bewilderment.

They enter the Uchiha shrine by the time dawn breaks outside, leaving the tiles painted in reds and oranges but the rest of the hulking _butsuma_ shrouded in shadow. The cold of the night still lingering in the stonework, and Rin shivers.

Even Danzou makes a sound of disapproval. "Tsk." A few hand seals and a quick breath of flame light up the doused candles, brightening up the large room considerably. The old ancestral plaques, their carved names well protected with a layer of lacquer, sit on the _butsuma_ in towering tiers like the thousand hands of _kannon_ , goddess of mercy.

"You shouldn't have come, old friend," murmurs a weary voice, and the ghosts startle badly. From the upper shelves of the butsuma, Kagami sits with his legs dangling— a terribly disrespectful posture, if not for the fact that he is one of those enshrined here. The Uchiha ghost smiles faintly at Sakumo and Rin. "And you two, either."

"I-I apologise," Sakumo stutters, and Rin squeaks the same.

Kagami shakes his head, turning back to Danzou, who has lighted a few sticks of incense. Feeling like an intruder, Sakumo backs out of the shrine and back into the sun, Rin close on his heels. If the rumours Shikaku had mentioned holds any truth, Sakumo does not want to know what they may have to say to one another.

Conflicted and confused, Sakumo and Rin take a seat on the stone steps outside. Having been built on a raised part of land, the shrine overlooks most of the Uchiha compound. The place has a certain kind of charm to it, like a village within a village.

There are children sprinting down the streets already, their backpacks bumping against the back of their knees as they race each other towards the Academy. The police from the night shift have handed over their posts to the next shift, yawning as they duck into one of the stalls for breakfast before heading home. The stall-owner greets them energetically, and opposite the street, the grocer's first customers have arrived. A kunoichi titters with her friend as she picks out some ripened tomatoes, and—

It is peaceful.

They watch the clouds pass by, admiring in low murmurs how the remaining shades of pink are blending into the usual grey-blues of the sky. Kakashi would be doing his morning exercises with his team by now, and hopefully enjoying the same crisp morning air.

"Caw, _caw!_ " A large crow, big enough to fit into both of Sakumo's hands, announces its arrival as it lands on the steps. It bounces up a few more steps before peerinig down, its claws tip-tapping impatiently against marble as it caws again. Sakumo glances over as well and smiles.

The curly-haired Uchiha boy walking up the steps is Uchiha Shisui, another genius who had been through the Third War as well, at an age even younger than Kakashi. He has grown up well in the time since, but he is still yet a boy. "Be patient!" he scolds his summon, a grin on his face.

" _Caw._ " The crow cocks its head, fixing a beady eye on the Uchiha. _You're slow._

The boy laughs softly under his breath and passes by Sakumo, scooping up his crow into his arms as he does. The ghost would have warned him of Danzou if he could, but it soon turns out that he needn't have worried.

"Shisui," Danzou greets in a startlingly warm voice as he emerges from the shrine. Kagami is nowhere to be seen.

"Danzou-sama," Kagami's grandson says with a bow. "Thank you for visiting Grandpa."

"He is a good friend. How is your mother?"

"As always. Still grieving over Father."

Danzou pats Shisui's head, even though the boy is already a jounin. "You're better than your father."

"Thank you, Danzou-sama. But it is alright, I understand Mother's feelings."

The elder sighs. "If you say so. If you need anything, you know where you can find me."

Shisui shuffles his feet. "Actually, I do have a request."

"Oh?"

"Would you make me an ANBU?"

Danzou's forehead creases. "That would be difficult, Shisui. You are far too young."

The boy is undeterred. "If I'm old enough to fight in the Third War, then I am old enough to be in ANBU. The tensions between the Uchiha clan and the rest of Konoha are not good for anyone— but if I can take up a position in ANBU, maybe I can help with that. Fugaku-sama and the elders have been worried about Uchiha representation in ANBU. I know many people don't trust the Uchiha, but at least you can trust me, right?"

The elder's face softens. "I can trust you. But I can't trust that the others won't try to use you. I don't want you to be caught in between."

"I'm an Uchiha and I'm a Konoha-nin. I won't be able to escape it even if I tried." There's a thread of despair in his voice. "Please, Danzou-sama? Consider it?"

"No. Stay out of this and stay low. If you get involved, I don't know if I can protect you."

"Protect me...?" Shisui's large eyes grow wider. "Danzou-sama... what's going to happen?"

The elder's expression darkens. "Only what is inevitable."

"Danzou-sama..."

The conversation is over. "Take care of your mother," Danzou advises, already heading down the steps. "And take as many missions out of Konoha as you can. I will consider making you ANBU if things are better in a few years."

"...understood," Shisui murmured, hanging his head. His crow preens at his hair, cawing softly at him as it does. With a dejected sigh, he strokes his summon's head and disappears using the Shunshin that he's famous for.

Sakumo and Rin stare at the single black feather left behind, wondering what all this means.

* * *

"The Hokage has been attacked!" Gazelle reports in a shout as she bursts into Danzou's office and falls to one knee.

Kakashi shoots to his feet, shock written all over his face. "What?!" A page of his research flutters to the ground, but he doesn't even glance at it.

"Report," Danzou commands, setting down the upcoming meeting's agenda. There's a glint in his eye.

"Six attackers of unidentified allegiance ambushed the Hokage on the way to the Daimyo, sir. None of them were caught."

"Injuries and losses?"

"One dead, sir. Most are injured. The Hokage suffered a non-fatal injury but is unconscious and being treated."

Rin's hand flies to her mouth. "Sage...!"

With a nod, Danzou stands and begins to gather his things. "Very well. Then it is just as well that we are proceeding with the clan heads' meeting. We will address this matter then, so meet us there."

"Yes sir!" Gazelle flashes away and Danzou pauses by the doorway.

"Hmm."

"Sir?" Kakashi asks urgently. "Should we send a team to investigate?"

"I'm sure the jounin commander has already done so." The elder turns to Kakashi, his expression severe. "Kakashi, if you're still loyal to ROOT despite the... _interesting_ things you have been saying to my shinobi, I will need your cooperation today."

"...sir?"

"There are two great threats to Konoha's progress. One is Hiruzen's incompetence and pacifism. The other is the Uchihas' arrogance. Both of them must be dealt with. Today, we will not waste time pandering to them."

* * *

"This is completely ridiculous!" Fugaku snarls, his palm coming down hard on the table. Kakashi flinches in his seat. "What evidence do you have that my clan had _anything_ to do with the incident?"

"Other than the fact that the same Mokuton that was used during the Kyuubi attack appeared again during this one?" Danzou narrows his eyes. "There was an Uchiha ANBU on the team, too. The only one uninjured."

" _Bullshit,_ " Fugaku growls, a vein at his temple throbbing as the colour of his irises pulsed. The other clan heads, as well as Gazelle and the jounin commander, carefully avoid his angry glare. "In case you didn't know, Uchihas don't have _Mokuton_. This is a set up."

"Uchiha-dono, please calm yourself," Chouza says warily.

Still trembling with rage, Fugaku drops back into his seat, his hand coming up to massage his forehead as he squeezes his eyes shut. Knowing how it can feel to be the target of everyone's disapprobation, Sakumo grimaces in sympathy.

With the appearance of Mokuton, which is surely Kinoe's, Sakumo is certain that the attack on the Hokage is Danzou's doing. However, Fugaku's temper is not helping him.

 _"Inevitable,"_ Danzou had said to Shisui. But what is his end game? Nothing good can come out of fanning tensions like this, not unless Danzou wants civil war.

But surely that cannot be it. Despite Danzou's own personal prejudices, he would never weaken Konoha like that. Both Rin and himself agree.

If his aim is to weaken the Uchiha, then he is taking this too far.

"We will have to take precautions," the elder declares. "Before investigations are completed and suspicions are cleared against the Uchiha clan, it is only right to suspend all Uchiha ANBU."

Fugaku's grip on the edge of the table becomes white-knuckled. "I object. There is no need to take such drastic measures when we are not even certain whether the suspicions are _founded._ "

"You are putting the cart before the horse, Fugaku-dono," Danzou retorts snappily. "If we have to determine whether these suspicions are well-founded before acting, then these investigations are necessary anyway."

 _'Not necessarily,'_ Sakumo muses, even though he can see the other people wavering in the face of Danzou's twisting words. _'Fugaku is just asking for better reasons than a jutsu that isn't even his clan's and an uninjured clan member.'_ It should be up to Danzou to prove his accusations, not for Fugaku to prove his clansmen's innocence in the face of any random accusation that is thrown at them. Presumption of innocence, or something like that— but the people have since grown fearful of the Uchiha.

"Does Hokage-sama have anything to say about this?" Hiashi asks, frowning at Gazelle.

"He is in the hospital, sir. He is not available to make comment."

"Ibiki and I have a joint team travelling to the site now," Inoichi offers, his fingers clasped before him. "Perhaps we should wait for their return before making any hasty decisions."

"Time is of the essence," jounin commander Shikane advises. "Your team will not be back before tomorrow afternoon. Furthermore, there is no reason why internal investigations cannot proceed in parallel." Shikaku gives his older cousin a frown, but Shikane ignores him and continues. "Pardon me, Fugaku-sama. I have spoken to ANBU Commander Ox and we have agreed a temporary suspension is necessary for us to carry out investigations effectively. Please rest assured that once your clan's name has been cleared, your clansmen will be restored to their positions. With your permission, sir."

Of course, this is but a courtesy. It does not really matter whether Fugaku gives his permission or not; ANBU is under the Hokage's sole jurisdiction. They are his personal forces, after all. In the Hokage's absence, the jounin and ANBU commanders have the authority to make decisions on Hiruzen's behalf.

Fugaku knows this.

"Fine," he grinds between clenched teeth, his chair clattering back as he stands and stalks out of the room. "Do what you will."


	92. Chapter 92

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, this chapter was challenging to write and my brainspace is taken up by this research paper I'm working on. But oh boy. There may be some controversial developments this chapter *eyes emoticon*

* * *

It took less than a day for the Uchiha ANBU to be released from the Intelligence Division, since both Inoichi and Ibiki had declared that there was no reason detain her any longer. Inoichi had conducted the interrogation himself, but not before informing Fugaku and allowing him to observe the entire process through the one-way mirror. It was a gesture of respect that Fugaku had obviously not expected after that fiasco of a meeting, and it successfully calmed him down quite a bit.

All things considered, it turned out to be a mild interrogation. Inoichi carried out his job thoroughly, taking a little more than three hours with his jutsu, with a few breaks in between to take down his observations. There was not much to see other than Inoichi sitting there with his hands the ANBU's temples, but the point was made— Fugaku did not have to worry about his clansmen suffering at their hands. The Uchiha ANBU left soon after, slightly dizzy from the jutsu but otherwise no worse for wear.

Danzou, however, was in a right snit when he visited the Jounin Commander to protest the Uchiha ANBU's release. But with both Heads of the Intelligence Division insisting that all measures have been taken, the Jounin Commander had given a "hmm" and taken no further action. Sakumo, who had been worried that the Jounin and ANBU Commanders were already in Danzou's back pocket, breathed a sigh of relief.

However, there was only so much that those sympathetic to the Uchiha could do. The Uchiha ANBU were immediately removed from their posts, and the Uchiha compound placed under twenty-four hour surveillance. Even though the Uchiha Police were allowed to carry on their duties as usual, to those in-the-know, this was nothing more than a farce. What use was a police force that was under surveillance itself?

Fugaku must have advised his clansmen well, however, as they seemed determined to not tarnish whatever good reputation they had left. For a clan known to be as explosive as their Katons, Sakumo was impressed by their restraint. The wiser of them kept their more hot-headed kin from acting out, even though the people were as wary of them as ever. No doubt Danzou would pin them down for police brutality if he had even the slightest opportunity.

The team that had been sent out by the Intelligence Division returned shortly— but with nothing to report. All traces of the attack had been removed, including the mokuton used, by a large blast. The team had been lucky to escape the blast radius courtesy of one of their sensor-nin, who had detected the chakra-laden charge moments before the hidden explosive tags ignited. The trail ended there, and there was not much anyone could do about it.

The Hokage was discharged from the hospital soon after as well, weary but otherwise fit enough to make a public appearance to assuage fears about his health. If Sakumo had any hopes that Hiruzen would set the current state of affairs to rights, there were soon dashed, however. Hiruzen's will to keep Danzou in check, if he had any, seemed to have been completely sapped. A brief meeting with the Jounin and ANBU Commanders was all he had before allowing the Uchiha investigations to continue. Essentially, he had endorsed Danzou's decisions, and the elder was striding about looking all too pleased about it.

To say that Sakumo was disappointed would be an understatement. Rin was absolutely appalled, as were the other ghosts and all those of the living who had worked so hard to keep the situation in check. Kagami, as always, kept quiet in that conflicted, hapless way of his. Hyaku spent her days hounding him until he hid in his own grave, mumbling that there was nothing to be done.

If things continued this way, Kagami might just become right.

* * *

"Are you sure he's coming?" Masae asks, setting down the steaming teapot on the dinner table as she takes a seat opposite Kakashi. Sakumo and Rin are there in the old Hatake estate too, grateful for the change in scenery from ROOT's bare cement walls. "It's been an hour."

"Mm," Kakashi hums noncommittally, his gaze flickering over the latest sealing research that Inoichi had passed to him during one of their therapy sessions. "I will wait until Pakkun manages to convince him."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I suppose I will have to trouble you again in a few weeks," Kakashi say, smiling apologetically behind his mask. Despite his nonchalance, Sakumo knows of the sleepless nights that Kakashi has spent pacing in his room, torn between worry for one missing wood-user and the brewing trouble in the Uchiha compound. It is because of the latter that Kakashi had arranged for this meeting with Masae, purportedly to discuss the progress of this year's new crops on the Hatake land. In actuality, it is an excuse to get away from ROOT's prying eyes and hopefully meet with one Fugaku Uchiha.

"Oh, it's fine," Masae laughs, far more casual with him now that they'd worked together for some time on the farming programme. She'd proven herself to be an excellent assistant. "Let me know if you need some tasty dishes to entice him over."

Kakashi's eye crinkles as he chuckles, a rare sound from him. "Thanks. I don't think I'll have the chance to take you up on that, though. He just crossed the wards."

Shooting up to her feet with a gasp, Masae grabs her sling bag and begins tugging her coat on. "Oh, wonderful! Good luck, Kakashi-kun."

"Thanks for coming."

"No problem," she calls, already slipping out of the front door with a wave. Rin kicks her feet, pouting now that her sister has left.

Kakashi leaves the door open behind him as he returns to clear the dining table, hesitating briefly before taking an extra teacup from the cupboard. He had not mentioned it, but a total of two chakra signatures had crossed the wards.

Fugaku doesn't quite slam the door when he comes in, but his heavy tread and downturned mouth quite clearly announces his desire to do so. Unexpectedly, Shisui is with him, running after his clan head's long stride with a sheepish expression. At Rin's questioning glance, Sakumo shrugs. He too would've expected Fugaku to bring a burlier bodyguard, but Shisui is just as competent as any other Uchiha out there, if not more.

"Quite the nerve you have to summon me all the way here," the older Uchiha snaps, stopping at the doorway with his arms crossed before his chest. Casting his narrowed gaze about the empty little kitchen, his grimace deepens. "What do you want?"

Before Kakashi can answer, Pakkun appears beside Fugaku's left foot and nods at Kakashi. "Boss."

Kakashi nods back, and the ninken disappears in a puff of smoke, his task accomplished. "Thank you for coming, Fugaku-san, Shisui-kun," Kakashi says with his best smile, "I really appreciate it—"

"Cut the crap. You're sounding like him."

There's an awkward pause. Shisui cringes and slinks past Fugaku to make himself small in a corner.

"He is probably the last person I want to become," Kakashi chuckles, scratching his head. "I asked you to come here because I needed to make sure we have the privacy to speak. Fugaku-san, I would like to apologise for my silence during the meeting last week—"

"If that's all that you have to say, you can stop there." He turns heel to go and Kakashi takes a step forward before he hastily stops himself.

"Fugaku-san, _please."_

The older man's eyes flash red as he turns back to glare. "I despise people play both sides of the game. Stand on either Danzou's side or the Uchiha's. Stay neutral if you have to. But it's clear that you've been allying with Danzou. Don't think that you can crawl back into the Uchihas' good graces with simply an apology."

"That's harsh, Fugaku-san," Kakashi says with a wince. "I don't really know how I can prove it to you that this isn't a game to me, but... there may be something I can do for you. If we work together, I may have a way to clear the Uchihas' name."

A flicker of surprise crosses the Uchiha's face but it quickly disappears beneath a mask of skepticism. "We have been cracking our heads over this ever since the Kyuubi incident, and now these _investigations_. Tell me. I'm curious what kind of genius solution you've come up with."

"I have evidence," Kakashi says, picking his words carefully so as to not trigger the seal. "During Minato-sensei's time, I was given orders. Ame was being manipulated, and I was given a mission to deal with the people behind it. There were... disturbing revelations. With what happened to the Sandaime recently, I'm afraid we are facing the same problems today in Konoha."

Frustration has Fugaku's brow ticking. "Don't speak in riddles—"

Kakashi pulls down his mask and shows him his tongue. "Unfortunately," he says dryly. "I am working with some restrictions."

"That's a silencing seal," Shisui points out, shooting a meaningful glance at his clan head.

"You're in his ROOT, I suppose," Fugaku grunts.

Kakashi winces, pulls up his mask, and does not deny it. "I see it is more of an open secret than I thought."

"While I am still not completely convinced that this is not an elaborate attempt to entrap me... I take it that you have discovered something damning about that old coot?" Fugaku narrowed eyes are still a bloody red. Despite the obvious threat posed by the doujutsu, Kakashi does not look away. Against an enemy, it would be questionable decision, but Kakashi is clearly determined to treat the Uchiha with all the trust that should exist between fellow Konoha-nin.

"The incidents I mentioned, together with my own testimony, will not be easy to disregard if I have support from you and the other clan heads. I have friends working on breaking the seal. As long as I can get it off, Inoichi-san will be able to confirm my testimony with his clan jutsu. I know this is asking much of you," Kakashi admits, "but I hope that you will be willing to work with me when the time eventually comes. The evidence I am collecting will be useless if the council is afraid to go against people in power."

"It will not be easy with the Hokage wilfully blind to Danzou's actions. Even now...!" Fugaku's chakra buzzes as he fumes.

"Exactly."

"Was Danzou-san involved in the Kyuubi incident?" Shisui asks hesitantly.

"I don't know," Kakashi sighs. "Unfortunately. But if the Uchiha can play a part in unearthing the terrible things that are happening and bringing those behind it to justice, it would help your clan immensely. If nothing else, people will have someone else to put on the chopping block."

Lowering his gaze, Shisui stares at the floor with troubled look. Fugaku is not so bothered. "That will depend on what you can produce, Kakashi. Opinion is as fickle as the weather and Danzou is a cunning man. We will need something irrefutable."

"I assure you I will try my best. There is not much I can give you now, but I wanted to inform you of my plans."

"Are you in much danger, Kakashi-san?" Shisui asks, looking genuinely worried.

"Maa... the usual amount," he says, still smiling. Sakumo shakes his head. The "usual amount", to Kakashi, is quite a bit.

Fugaku finally lets his Sharingan fade to black, relaxing his stiff posture slightly as well. Now that the doujutsu is not a lingering threat, Fugaku seems more weary than angry. "I will wait. But is not easy to keep the peace. These accusations are spit in our faces. There is only so much I can ask my clansmen to grit their teeth and bear. The Will of Fire is nothing but empty words when every day we are ostracised and looked upon with suspicion."

"I understand perhaps a bit too well, Fugaku-san. The Hatakes were not very well looked upon either."

Fugaku's expression softens a fraction. "I remember."

"And," Kakashi says, refusing to dwell on the matter now that his point has been made, "I've always believed that if Minato-sensei were still alive, the tensions we are facing with the Uchiha clan today would not be so dire."

"There is," Fugaku says slowly, his tone heavy with implications, "a solution. But there is no way that Konoha will accept it."

 _'An Uchiha as Hokage,'_ Sakumo realises immediately, suddenly alert.

At Kakashi's silence, Fugaku gives a humourless chuckle and Shisui twisted his hands nervously. "Is such an idea so repulsive?"

"No. You are right. The Sandaime is as good as a puppet when it comes to Danzou," Kakashi admits, sounding perturbed. "He will almost certainly be implicated by Danzou's misdeeds. And when you look at our history... there is a disturbing pattern. Even Minato-sensei comes from a line of privilege that has passed from teacher to student, again and again. The Hat has never gone to anyone else. Now, however, both Jiraiya and Tsunade are gone," Kakashi muses. "Orochimaru was slighted by the Sandaime and has since not appeared in the public eye. As for myself..." he laughs hollowly. "I have no intention of becoming Godaime. If only Obito had not died. He always wanted to be Hokage. But this line of succession is at an end— and I do not think it is a terrible thing. Even if the Hat is merely a symbol, it is an important one. The Uchiha deserve to have it, at least once."

Fugaku nods, the lines bracketing his mouth easing some. "An Uchiha Hokage would be a great comfort to my clansmen."

"You're not as heartless as lot of people say you are," Kakashi says, returning that faint smile. "I do not think there are many people who would have been willing to give away a doujutsu simply because it was the dying wish of a boy. I've always been indebted to you for that. I hope you still believe in Konoha as much as you did then."

"It is not a matter of belief. From the moment the Uchiha clan founded Konoha with the Senju, our destinies were forever entwined." Fugaku scratches his chin. "When Danzou is finally exposed, per your evidence, as you say, we will use this opportunity to recover the Uchiha's reputation. Then... we will see about gaining the jounin majority's approval for an Uchiha Hokage. Perhaps then, it would be possible."

Kakashi nods. "Perhaps."

* * *

"Your Mangekyou," Fugaku murmurs, catching Shisui's attention as they head out of the Hatake estate. Sakumo had followed him into the night; things said after the event are just as interesting as those said during, after all. "Did you use it?"

Shisui shakes his head, whispering back. "They were all his own words."

A series of undecipherable emotions flash across his face, ending in a brief, guilty frown that he quickly smooths away. "Good," is all he says.

Sakumo lets them leave, his feet rooted to the spot and his mind racing.

Just after the Third War, a rumour had come to life. A rumour about a young Uchiha gaining a Mangekyou. Apparently, after the Uchiha had been recovered, a subsequent cleanup team had discovered an entire platoon of enemy-nin, dead. The corpses were in a locked underground bunker, their throats all slit in the same way. The rumour mill churned out nightmare scenarios with relish— surely it had been a genjutsu so horrifying that it caused them to commit suicide just to escape it?

But now that Sakumo thinks of what Fugaku had said, and Shisui's ancestry...

Kagami was quite famous during his lifetime for his genjutsu. It was said to have such a subtle, insidious effect that it could make a person kiss their worst enemy's feet, without realising even for a moment that something was wrong.

Suddenly, Sakumo feels cold sweat prickle along his spine.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you don't want an Uchiha Hokage, don't worry, because it is not going to be a big part of the plot. But let me explain my thought process a bit.

The thing about Fugaku is that we don't really know much about him other than that he's a bad father, haha. I've taken the liberty of painting him in a more favourable light, and hopefully between Obito's sharingan and his handling of his clan, he is at least a not-so-terrible Hokage candidate. (Better than my Hiruzen, anyway, and certainly better than Danzou.) But of course, he's not a big softie here either. Shisui is here for a reason: his Kotoamatsukami. If Kakashi had not agreed to support Fugaku's bid to become Hokage, Shisui would have mangekyou-ed him and used him as a spy against Danzou. If Kakashi had intended to entrap him per Danzou's orders, which was what Fugaku suspected, he would have had Shisui use Kotoamatsukami on him without hesitation as well. Shisui is a good boy but he has his orders.

As for Hokage candidacy, why not the other clan heads? Honestly I can't think of any other way to solve the Uchiha tensions other than to give the Uchiha the recognition they need. Of course, to become Hokage in the first place, they need a boost in reputation, which is where Danzou's downfall comes in...

We will have a timeskip next chapter. Onwards! ;)


	93. Chapter 93

**A/N:** Kakashi is around 15 now!

* * *

"Well done on the mission," Kakashi says, giving his team a proud eye-smile as he sinks into the chair behind his desk. "It was challenging but you all pulled it off well."

His team playfully salutes their captain, Yugao beaming brightly enough to make up for her teammates' tired slouches. "We're proud of you too, taichou!"

"Maa..." Kakashi coughs, looking embarrassed. It's been a year since he'd first met them and they are becoming more cheeky by the day. "Thank you. Go take the night off and relax, we can file the paperwork tomorrow."

Mitsuo sighs in relief, and Yugao waves her hand in front of Kou's face until he reluctantly high-fives her. "We'll see you tomorrow, then," Mitsuo yawns. "Want us to get you anything?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

"Alright."

Kakashi waves them out, melting further into his chair once his team leaves. Alone in his office again, Kakashi closes his eyes and puts his feet up on the table. Sakumo smiles at him fondly, a wistful part of him wishing that he could bring Kakashi home for a warm meal like he'd in the past. But for years now, Kakashi has taken care of himself. Nowadays, it means takeaway eaten in the office and food shovelled into his mouth without tasting it, because his mind is on the paperwork instead. Sakumo knows Kakashi is trying his best; he just wishes he has some way to make all this easier for him.

With a groan and a pop of his spine, Kakashi gets out of his chair, using his foot to slide it back against the desk. As he stretches, his gaze floats over the small room, passing the organised shelves to land on the boxes left in the corner. Snake's things have been gathering dust ever since Kakashi took over her office, Kakashi being unwilling to throw them away but not knowing where to put them either.

Tearing his gaze away, Kakashi strips out of his armour, hangs it up, and leaves.

* * *

"RIVAAAAL!" Kakashi's head snaps up as Gai takes a flying leap from a roof, landing in the middle of the street in front of Kakashi and raising a small cloud of dust. With wide, almost disbelieving eyes, Gai reaches out slowly and clasps Kakashi's shoulders with both hands. "Kakashi! How wonderful and how rare it is to be able to lay my eyes on you!"

Kakashi chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry, Gai. I've been a bit busy." Gai lets go and Kakashi slouches further, his hands remaining deep in his pockets.

"That's alright, Rival! I know everyone has been asking a lot of you." Gai nods, as if confirming his own thoughts. "You are still truly youthful, Kakashi!"

"Thanks," Kakashi murmurs, his fixed expression softening into something more genuine. "Gai, how have you been?"

His rival looks fit to burst into tears. "How kind of you to ask! I have been doing well, Rival. Jounin missions are pushing me to greater heights and I am grateful for the challenge!" He strikes a pose, his face bright with determination.

"Gai, please," Rin laughs, not unkindly, and Kakashi seems equally amused by his enthusiasm. After the stoicism of ROOT shinobi and the older clan heads, Gai's loud declarations and energetic gestures are like a breath of fresh air to Sakumo too.

"Kakashi, would you join us for a while?" Gai asks, not quite bouncing on his feet but buzzing with tension all the same. "We are throwing Asuma a farewell party and everyone is invited!"

Surprise crosses Kakashi's face. "Asuma? He's really leaving?"

Gai's shoulders slump. "Indeed. Asuma is going to train with the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and hopefully, become one of them." He perks up as if by sheer force of will. "It is a noble pursuit! I believe Asuma will do wonderfully!"

"I see..." Kakashi glances back at the izakaya Gai points out. He looks torn. It has been a long day, a long week, and an even longer year.

Kakashi's preparations to bring down Danzou are coming to a head. The Ino-Shika-Chou have deciphered the silencing seal and have gone on to prepare the arrays which will unseal it. When the time comes, it will hopefully be enough to free Kakashi from Danzou's influence. Meanwhile, Kakashi's therapy sessions have turned into strategy sessions, during which he and Inoichi would attempt to come up with as many ways to bring down Danzou as possible, ranging from the purely legal to those less so, should Danzou decide that he has nothing left to lose. Shikaku and Chouza would comment, and on rare occasions, Fugaku as well, and they would continue to refine their plans.

The stress of juggling everything is wearing on Kakashi. Danzou has been ordering him about, too. The more Kakashi gives in, during clan head meetings or other shady missions, the more Danzou demands. In a bid to gather more evidence, Kakashi has stained his own hands with blood.

He hasn't told Fugaku about Hawk, and Inoichi has not brought it up either. It is conspicuously absent from their plans— to protect Kakashi, no doubt. But there are more people than Hawk that Danzou quietly does away with, and while Kakashi has not carried out an assassination of the likes of Snake's again, there is much information gathering, document forgery, cover-up, and disposal that has to be done and _has been_ done... Danzou confidence in Kakashi's silence not only because of the seal, but because Kakashi is implicated in ROOT's activities as well.

Perhaps it is unfair, but Sakumo can only hope that Kakashi's part in these things will forgiven, as all of it has been done for the sake of bringing Danzou to justice. The thought of it weighs on him, and Sakumo can see it dragging Kakashi down too.

His preparations are all coming together, but the abyss is as deep and dark as it was before.

"Kakashi?" Gai's voice breaks through his spiralling thoughts. "If you're too tired, it's alright! I'm sure Asuma will understand. You can drop him a note later."

Kakashi scratches his head, looking guilty. "Nah. How long is he leaving for anyway? I should drop by."

Sparkles come to life in Gai's eyes. "A few years probably. Let's go then, they'll be thrilled to see you!"

Kakashi doesn't look quite sure about that, but he lets Gai pull him along. His friend's overjoyed chatter is infectious.

* * *

"Kakashi!" Asuma looks surprised as he reaches out to give Kakashi a brief, one-armed hug. "You came!" Perched on the bar stool beside Asuma, Kurenai stares wide-eyed at him.

"Yeah," Kakashi says, eye-smiling. "Twelve Ninja Guardians, huh? Good way to get away for a bit."

Asuma chuckles sheepishly. "Yeah. Otou-san's... I suppose you know. You're in the thick of it after all."

"Well, somewhat," Kakashi murmurs, playing down just how closely he has been watching the Sandaime. Asuma's decision to leave is a surprise, but not completely unexpected. The cold divide between Asuma and his father has only grown as Hiruzen proved, again and again, to be no barrier to Danzou's ambitions. There isn't anything good to say about the situation, nor any advice that Kakashi can give. "You'll do well with the Twelve Ninja Guardians," Kakashi says finally. "They're an excellent group."

"I sure hope so." Asuma seems grateful for Kakashi's support. "Thanks for coming, Kakashi. Get a good meal and a drink, ok? My father's paying the tab." Asuma smirks, and Kakashi chuckles. With one last clap on his back, and a short wave to Kurenai, Kakashi makes his retreat.

It takes a while before he manages to get away from the other people who are keen on snatching a few words with him, all of them exclaiming over how long it has been since they've seen him. First Genma, then Ebisu and Raidou, before other less familiar acquaintances spot Kakashi and want to talk to him too. Most of his peers are in attendance, except Anko, but she is just as elusive as Kakashi nowadays. There is a twitch under Kakashi's eye by the time Gai comes alongside him, pressing a drink into his hand and covering Kakashi's exhausted silences with his own exuberance.

It's been so long since Kakashi has interacted with his own peers that he's obviously having a hard time connecting with them. They are by no means naive, for the tensions in Konoha are on everyone's heart, but the things that have been troubling Kakashi are very much different. The past few years have taught him to always be on guard, to trust no-one, and to look underneath beneath the underneath in every sentence, every glance. His friends' open concern for his distant demeanour and permanent fatigue leave him visibly uncomfortable, even though he tries to show his appreciation.

Eventually, they give him the distance he wants. Kakashi makes his excuses soon after, bidding them goodnight and promising to drop by again, even though they all know that he both does and doesn't mean it.

The cool night air a relief after the crammed, noisy bar. Gai follows him out, seemingly the only one who doesn't seem alienated by Kakashi's quietness. "It's good to see you again, Rival," he says, brimming with such sincerity that it is almost painful to look him in the face. "Please don't let ANBU eat you up. We should do some challenges sometime, yes?"

Kakashi takes a deep breath as he hesitates, a conflicted look coming upon his face. Both Gai and the ghosts stare at him in concern.

"Rival?"

Finally, his shoulders slump. "Gai, I think I will quit ANBU soon."

Both ghosts gape at Kakashi. Neither of them had expected that— Kakashi is basically married to his work! Sakumo would not have thought it possible for Gai's eyes go grow any rounder, but they did. "Rival?"

"I'm tired," Kakashi says, forcing a small laugh. "My team will be alright on their own."

Gai nods with uncharacteristic solemness. "I'm behind you all the way, Rival. A break will do you good! What do you think about becoming a jounin-sensei?" Gai brightens. "We are both a bit young, but any jounin qualifies—"

A snort escapes Kakashi. "Maybe not _that_. I don't think I'll be very good for the poor kids assigned to me."

His friend pouts, but soon breaks out into a wide grin again. "Rival, I will look forward to challenging you again!"

Kakashi smiles.

* * *

 **A/N:** Gai is a Most Excellent Friend.


End file.
